BRAZIL 



AND TPIE 



BRAZILIANS, 



HISTORICAL AND DESCRIPTIVE SKETCHES. 



Rev. D. P. KIDDER, D.D., and Ret. J. C. FLETCHER. 



ILLUSTRATED BY 

ONE HUNDRED AND FIFTY ENGRAVINGS. 



PHILADELPHIA: 
CHILDS & PETERSON, 602 ARCH ST. 
NEW YORK: 
SHELDON, BLAKE MAN & CO. 

1857. 



PORTRAYED IN 



BY 




Entered according to Act of Congress, in the year 1857, by 
CHILDS & PETERSON, 
in the Clerk's Office of the District Court of the United States for the Eastern District of 
Pennsylvania. 

STEREOTYPED BY L. JOHNSON & CO. 
PHILADELPHIA. 



PRINTED BY DEACON & PETERSON. 



7 
t 

that the descendants of the 

3 




PREFACE. 




The popular notion of Brazil is, 
to a certain extent, delineated in 
the accompanying side-illustrations. 
Mighty rivers and virgin forests, 
palm-trees and jaguars, anacondas 
and alligators, howling monkeys 
and screaming parrots, diamond-mining, 
revolutions, and earthquakes, are the com- 
ponent parts of the picture formed in the 
mind's eye. It is probably hazarding no- 
thing to say that a very large majority of 
general readers are better acquaint- 
ed with China and India than with 
Brazil. How few seem to 
be aware that in the distant 

/, 



^' Southern Hemisphere is a 
"vY\|' stable constitutional mon- 
archy, and a growing na- 
tion, occupying a territory 
of greater area than that 
of the United States, and 



that the descendants of the 



4 



Preface. 



Portuguese hold the same relative position in South America 
as the descendants of the English in the northern half of the 
New World! How few Protestants are cognizant of the 
fact that in the territory of Brazil the Reformed religion was 
first proclaimed on the Western Continent ! 

The following work, by two whose experience in the Bra- 
zilian Empire embraces a period of twenty years, endeavors 
faithfully to portray the history of the country, and, by a nar- 
rative of incidents connected with travel and residence in the 
land of the Southern Cross, to make known the manners, 
customs, and advancement of the most progressive people 
south of the Equator. 

While "Itineraries" relating to journeys of a few months in 
various portions of the Empire have been recently published, 
no general work on Brazil has been issued in Europe or 
America since the "Sketches" of the senior author, (D. P. K.,) 
which was most favorably received in England and the United 
States, but has long been out of print. 

Although the present volume is the result of a joint effort, 
the desire for greater uniformity caused the senior author 




to place his contributions in the hands of his 
junior colleague, (J. C. F.,) with the permission 
to use the name of the former in the third 
person singular. The amount of matter from 



each pen is, however, more 
nearly equal than at first sight 



^ '\^JS The authors have consult- 



H|^Sf^' e d every important work in 
|H|P|t^ French, German, English, and 
Portuguese, that could throw 
' light on the history of Brazil, 



Preface. 5 

and likewise various published memoirs and discourses 
read before the flourishing "Geographical and Historical 
Society" at Rio de Janeiro. For statistics they have either 
personally examined the Imperial and provincial archives, or 
have quoted directly from Brazilian state papers. 

For important services, the authors are happy to acknow- 
ledge their indebtedness to Conselheiro J. F. de Cavalcanti de 
Albuquerque, His Brazilian Majesty's Minister-Plenipotentiary 
at Washington, and M. le Chevalier d'Aguiar, Brazilian Con- 
sul-General at New York; to Hon. Ex-Governor Kent, of 
Maine, and Ferdinand Coxe, Esq., of Philadelphia, both of 
whom held high diplomatic positions at Rio de Janeiro; to 
Hon. Judge J. U. Petit, formerly Consul in one of the most im- 
portant Northern provinces of Brazil; to Mrs. L. A. Cuddehy, 
late of Rio de Janeiro ; and to Rev. H. A. Boardman, D.D., of 
Philadelphia. They also express their obligations to Mr. D. 
Bates, Thos. Rainey, M.D., and to A. R. Egbert, M.D., for 
valuable contributions to the Appendix. 



The numerous illustrations are, with few exceptions, either from sketches, or 
daguerreotype views taken on the spot, and have been faithfully as well as skil- 
fully executed by Messrs. Van Ingen & Snyder, of Philadelphia. The accompanying 
map, prepared by Messrs. J. H. Colton & Co., is probably the most perfect ever pub- 
lished of an Empire which has never been surveyed. In 1855 the junior author 
travelled more than three thousand miles in Brazil, making corrections of this map 
as he journeyed ; and his sincere thanks are heartily given to Senhor John Lisboa, 
of Bahia, who has devoted himself to the geography of his native land. 



THE POKTUGUESE LANGUAGE. 



The Portuguese language is universally spoken in Brazil. It is not a dialect 
of the Spanish, as many suppose, but, as Vieyra says, is the eldest daughter 
of the Latin. It is much more masculine than the Castilian, and in its strength, 
compactness, and expressiveness clearly indicates its Roman parentage. Sis- 
mondi, Schlegel, and Southey have fully treated of Portuguese literature, and 
their opinion is given in the pages of this work. Mr. Pickering, the lexico- 
grapher, was an excellent Portuguese scholar, but, besides Mr. Longfellow, 
there are probably not three literati in the United States acquainted with the rich 
language and belles-lettres of Lusitania. We are glad to learn that Messrs. Appleton 
are about to add to their Ollendorf series a "Method for learning Portuguese," and 
hope that many of our countrymen will thus be induced to acquire the beautiful 
language of de Camoes. 

The term Bom (dominies) is not used indiscriminately, like the Don of the Spanish, 
but is only applied by the Portuguese and their descendants to monarchs, princes, 
and bishops. 

The termination So is pronounced oun, — thus, nao (not) is pronounced like the 
English word noun. Words ending in oes are pronounced by inserting an n 
between e and s; thus, de Camoes — (Eng. de Camoens.) 

One milreis, (a thousand reis, — nearly equal to fifty cents,) the Brazilian coin so 
frequently mentioned in these pages, is always represented by the dollar sign after 
the mil: thus, 5$500 is five mil, five hundred reis,— not quite three dollars. On 
page 170 read "fifty milreis, (about twenty-five dollars,)" and not "fifty milreis, 
(about twenty-five cents.)" 



6 



CONTENTS. 



CHAPTER I. 

PAGE 

The Bay of Rio de Janeiro — Historic Reminiscences — First Sight of the Tropics — 
Entrance to the Harbor — Night-Scenes — Impressions of Beauty and Grandeur — 
Gardner and Stewart — The Capital of Brazil — Distinction of Rio de Janeiro 13 



CHAPTER II. 

Landing — Hotel Pharoux — Novel Sights and Sounds — The Palace Square — Rua 
Direita — Exchange — The " Team" — Musical Coffee-Carriers — Custom-House — 
Lessons in Portuguese, and Governor Kent's Opinion of Brazil — Post-Office — Dis- 
like of Change — Senhor Jose Maxwell — Rua do Ouvidor — Shops and Feather- 
Flowers — The Brazilian Omnibus can be full — Narrow Streets and Police-Regu- 
lations — A Suggestion to relieve Broadway, New York — Passeio Publico — Bra- 
zilian Politeness — The "Gondola" — The Brazilian imperturbable — Lack of Hotels 
— First Night in Rio de Janeiro 24 



CHAPTER III. 

Discovery of South America — Pinzon's Visit to Brazil — Cabral — Coelho — Americus 
Vespucius — The Name " Brazil" — Bay of Rio de Janeiro — Martin Affonso de Souza 
— Past Glory of Portugal — Coligny's Huguenot Colony — The Protestant Banner 
first unfurled in the New "World — Treachery of Villegagnon — Contest between 
the Portuguese and the French — Defeat of the Latter — San Sebastian founded — 
Cruel Intolerance — Reflections 46 



CHAPTER IV. 

Early State of Rio — Attacks of the French — Improvements under the Viceroys — 
Arrival of the Royal Family of Portugal — Rapid Political Changes — Departure of 
Dom John VI. — The Viceroyalty in the Hands of Dom Pedro — Brazilians dis- 
satisfied with the Mother-Country — Declaration of Independence — Acclamation of 
Dom Pedro as Emperor 61 



CHAPTER V. 

The Andradas — Instructions of the Emperor to the Constituent Assembly — Dom 
Pedro I. dissolves the Assembly by Force — Constitution framed by a Special Com- 
mission — Considerations of this Document — The Rule of Dom Pedro I. — Causes of 

Dissatisfaction— The Emperor abdicates in favor of Dom Pedro II 73 

7 



8 



Contents. 



CHAPTER VI. 

PAGE 

The Praia do Flamengo — The Three-Man Beetle — Splendid Views — The Man who 
cut down a Palm-Tree — Moonlight — Rio. " Tigers" — The Bathers — Gloria Hill — 
Evening Scene — The Church — Marriage of Christianity and Heathenism — A Ser- 
mon in Honor of Our Lady — Festa da Gloria — The Larangeiras — Ascent of the 
Cercovado — The Sugar-Loaf 86 



CHAPTER VII. 

Brotherhoods — Hospital of San Francisco de Paula — The Lazarus and the Rattle- 
snake — Misericordia — Sailors' Hospital at Jurujuba — Foundling-Hospital — Re- 
oolhimento for Orphan- Girls— New Misericordia — Asylum for the Insane — Jose" 
d'Anchieta, Founder of the Misericordia — Monstrous Legends of the Order — Friar 
John d' Almeida — Churches— Convents 107 



CHAPTER VIIL 

Illumination of the City — Early to Bed — Police — Gambling and Lotteries — Muni- 
cipal Government — Vaccination— Beggars on Horseback — Prisons — Slavery — Bra- 
zilian Laws in favor of Freedom — The Mina Hercules — English Slave-Holders — 
Slavery in Brazil Doomed ..' 124 



CHAPTER IX. 

Religion — The Corruption of the Clergy — Monsignor Bedini — Toleration among the 
Brazilians — The Padre — Festivals — Consumption of Wax — The Intrudo — Pro- 
cessions — Anjinhos — Santa Priscilliana — The Cholera not cured by Processions..... 140 



CHAPTER X. 

The Home-Feeling — Brazilian Houses— The Girl — The Wife — The Mother — Moorish 
Jealousy — Domestic Duties — Milk-Cart on Legs — Brazilian Lady's Delight — Her 
Troubles — The Marketing and Watering — Kill the Bixo — Boston Apples and Ice 
— Family Recreations — The Boy — The Collegio — Common-Schools — Highest Aca- 
demies of Learning — The Gentleman — Duties of the Citizen — Elections — Political 
Parties — Brazilian Statesmen — Nobility — Orders of Knighthood 161 



CHAPTER XI. 

Praia Grande — San Domingo — Sabbath-Keeping — Mandioca — -Ponte de Area — View 
from Inga" — The Armadillo — Commerce of Brazil — The Finest Steamship Voyage 
in the World — American Seamen's Friend Society — The English Cemetery — Eng- 
lish Chapel — Brazilian Funerals — Tijuca — Bennett's — Cascades — Excursions — 
Botanical Gardens — An Old Friend — Home 187 

CHAPTER XII. 

The Campo Santa Anna — The Opening of the Assemblea Geral — History of Events 
succeeding the Acclamation of Dom Pedro II. — The Regency — Constitutional 
Reform — Condition of Political Parties before the Revolution of 1840 — Debates in 
the House of Deputies — Attempt at Prorogation — Movement of Antonio Carlos — 
Deputation to the Emperor — Permanent Session — Acclamation of Dom Pedro's 



Contents. 



9 



Majority — The Assembly's Proclamation — Rejoicings — New Ministry — Public 
Congratulations — Real State of Things — Ministerial Programme — Preparations for 
the Coronation — Change of Ministry — Opposition come into Power — Coronation 
postponed — Splendor of the Coronation — Financial Embarrassments — Diplomacy 
— Dissolution of the Camara — Pretext of Outbreaks — Council of State — Restora- 
tion of Order — Sessions of the Assembly — Imperial Marriages — Ministerial Change 
— Present Condition K 211 



CHAPTER XIII. 

The Emperor of Brazil — His Remarkable Talents and Acquirements — New York 
Historical Society — The First Sight of D. Pedro II. — An Emperor on Board an 
American Steamship — Captain Foster and the " City of Pittsburg" — How D. Pedro 
II. was received by the " Sovereigns" — An Exhibition of American Arts and Manu- 
factures — Difficulties overcome — Visit of the Emperor — His Knowledge of American 
Authors — Success among the People — Visit to the Palace of S. Christovao— Long- 
fellow, Hawthorne, and Webster 231 



CHAPTER XIV. 

Brazilian Literature — The Journals of Rio de Janeiro — Advertisements — The Freedom 
of the Press — Effort to put down Bible-Distribution — Its Failure — National Library 
— Museum — Imperial Academies of Fine Arts — Societies — Brazilian Historical and 
Geographical Institute — Administration of Brazilian Law — Curious Trial 251 



CHAPTER XV. 

The Climate of Brazil — Its Superiority to other Tropical Countries — Cool Resorts — 
Trip to St. Alexio — Brazilian Jupiter Pluvius — The Mulatto Improvisor — Sydney 
Smith's " Immortal" Surpassed — A Lady's Impressions of Travel — An American 
Factory — A Yankee House — The Ride up the Organ Mountains — Forests, Flowers, 
and Scenery — Speculation in Town-Lots — Boa Vista — Height of the Serra dos 
Orgoes — Constancia — The "Happy Valley" — The Two Swiss Bachelors — Youth 
renewed — Prosaic Conclusion — Todd's " Student's Manual" — The Tapir — The 
Toucan — The Fire-Flies — Expenses of Travelling — Nova Fribourgo — Canta Gallo 
— -Petropolis 268 



CHAPTER XVI. 

Preparations for the Voyage to the Southern Provinces — The Passengers — Ubatuba 
— Eagerness to obtain Bibles — The Routine on Board — Aboriginal Names — San 
Sebastian and Midshipman Wilberforce — Santos — Brazilians at Dinner — Incorrect 
Judgment of Foreigners — S. Vincente — Order of Exercises — My Cigar — ParanaguS 
— H.B.M. "Cormorant" and the Slavers — Mutability of Maps — Russian Vessels in 
Limbo — The Prima Donna — An English Engineer — Arrive at San Francisco do Sul 303 



CHAPTER XVII. 

The Province of Parand — Message of its First President — Mat6, or Paraguay Tea — 
Its Culture and Preparation — Grows in North Carolina — San Francisco do Sul — 
Expectations not fulfilled — Canoe-Voyage — My Companions not wholly carnivo- 
rous — A Travelled Trunk — The Tolling-Bell Bird — Arrival at Joinville — A New 
Settlement 320 



10 



Contents. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

PAGE 

Colonia Donna Francisca — The School-Teacher — The Clergyman — A Turk — Bible- 
Distribution — Suspected — A B C — The Fallen Forest— The House of the Director 
— A Runaway — The Village Cemetery — Moral Wants — Orchidaceous Plants — 
Charlatanism — San Francisco Jail — The Burial of the Innocent, and the money- 
making Padre — The Province of Sta. Catharina — Desterro — Beautiful Scenery — 
Shells and Butterflies — Coal-Mines — Province of Rio Grande do Sul — Herds and 
Herdsmen — The Lasso — Indians — Former Provincial Revolts — Present Tranquil- 
lity assured by the Overthrow of Rosas 334 



CHAPTER XIX. 

Journey to San Paulo — Night-Travelling — Serra do Cubatao — The Heaven of the 
Moon — Frade Vasconcellos — -Ant-Hills — Tropeiros — Curious Items of Trade — 
Ypiranga — City of San Paulo — Law-Students and Convents — Mr. Mawe's Expe- 
rience contrasted — Description of the City — Respect for S. Paulo — The Visionary 
Hotel-Keeper 354 



CHAPTER XX. 

History of San Paulo — Terrestrial Paradise — Reverses of the Jesuits — Enslavement 
of the Indians — Historical Data — The Academy of Laws — Course of Study — Dis- 
tinguished Men — The Andradas — Jose Bonifacio — Antonio Carlos — Alvares 
Machado — Vergueiro — Bishop Moura — A Visit to Feijo — Proposition to abolish 
Celibacy — An Interesting Book — The Death of Antonio Carlos de Andrada — High 
Eulogium — Missionary Efforts in San Paulo — Early and Present Condition of the 
Province — Hospitalities of a Padre — Encouragements — The People — Proposition 
to the Provincial Assembly — Response — Result — Addenda — Present Encourage- 
ments 366 



CHAPTER XXI. 

Agreeable Acquaintance — Old Congo's Spurs — Lodging and Sleeping — Company- 
Campinas — Illuminations — A Night among the Lowly — Arrival at Limeira — 
A Pennsylvanian — A Night with a Boa Constrictor — Eventful and Romantic Life 
of a Naturalist — The Bird-Colony destined to the Philadelphia Academy of Natural 
Sciences — Ybecaba — Sketch of the Vergueiros — Plan of Colonization — Bridge of 
Novel Construction — Future Prospects 396 



CHAPTER XXII. 

A New Disease — The Culture of Chinese Tea in Brazil — Modus Operandi — The 
Deceived Custom-House Officials — Probable Extension of Tea-Culture in South 
America — Homeward Bound — My Companion — Senhor Jose and a Little Diffi- 
culty with him — California and the Musical Innkeeper — Early Start and the Star- 
Spangled Banner — The Senhores Brotero of S. Paulo — Fourth of July inaugurated 
in an English Family — " Yankee Doodle" on the Plains of Ypiranga — Lame and 
Impotent Conclusion — Astronomy under Difficulties — Deliverance — Return to Rio 
de Janeiro 416 



Contents. 



11 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

PAGE 

The Brazilian North— Extent of the Empire— The Falls of Itamarity— Gigantic Fig- 
Tree— The Keel-Bill — A Plantation in Minas-Geraes— Peter Parley in Brazil- 
Sweet Lemons —Baronial Style — The Padre — Vesper-Hours — The Plantation- 
Orchestra— The White Ants obedient to the Church— The Great Ant-Eater— The 
Paca — The Musical Cart — The Mines and other Besources of Minas-Geraes — 
Coffee : its History and Culture — The Province of Goyaz— Stingless Bees and Sour 
Honey — Mato Grosso — Long Biver-Boute to the Atlantic — A New Thoroughfare 
— Lieutenant Thomas J. Page — The Survey of the La Plata and its Affluents — 
First American Steamer at Corumba — Steamboat-Navigation on the Paraguay — 
Officers of the American Navy — Dr. Kane and Lieutenant Strain — Diamond and 
Gold Mines the Hinderers of Progress — The Difference in the Besults from Dia- 
monds and Coffee 432 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

Cape Frio — Wreck of the Frigate Thetis — Campos — Espirito Santo — Aborigines — 
Origin of Indian Civilization — The Palm-Tree and its Uses — The Tupi-Guarani — 
The Lingoa Geral — Ferocity of the Aymores — The City of Bahia — Porters — Cadeiras 
— History of Bahia— Caramuru — Attack on the Hollanders — Measures taken by 
Spain — The City retaken — The Dutch in Brazil — Slave-Trade — Sociability of 
Bahia — Mr. Gilmer, American Consul — The Humming-Bird — Whale-Fishery — 
American Cemetery — Henry Martyn — Visit to Montserrat — View of the City — The 
Emperor's Birthday — Medical School — Public Library — Image-Factory — The 
Wonderful Image of St. Anthony — No Miracle — St. Anthony a Colonel — Visit to 
Valenca — Daring Navigation — In Puris Naturalibus — The Factory and Colonel 
Carson— American Machinery — -Skilful Negroes — Beturn Home— Commerce with 
the United States 464 



CHAPTER XXV. 

Departure from Bahia — The Vampire-Bat — His Manner of Attack — The Bitten 
Negro — Annoyances magnified — Anacondas — One that swallowed a Horse — The 
Marmoset — Province of Alagoaz — The Bepublic of Palmares — Pernambuco — The 
' Amenities of Quarantine-Life — Improvements at the Becife — Peculiarities of Per- 
nambucan Houses — Beautiful Panorama — Various Districts of the City — A Bible- 
Christian — Extraordinary Fanaticism of the Sebastianists — Commerce of Pernam- 
buco — The Population of the Interior — The Sertanejo and Market-Scene — The 
Sugar and Cotton Mart — The Jangada — Parahiba do Norte — Natal — Ceara — The 
Paviola — Temperature and Periodical Bains — The City of Maranham — Judge 
Petit's Description — The Montaria — Departure 503 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

Magnificence of Nature in the Brazilian North — The City of Para" — The Entrance of 
the Amazon — The first Protestant Sermon on these Waters — Parallel to the Black- 
Hole of Calcutta — Effects of Steam-Navigation — Improvements in Para — The Canoa 
— Bathing and Market Scenes — Produce of Para" — India-Bubber — Par& Shoes — The 
Amazon Biver — Mr. Wallace's Explorations — The Vaca Marina — Cetacea of the 
Amazon — Turtle-Egg Butter — Indian Archery — Brazilian Birds and Insects — Visit 
to Bice-Mills near Para' — Journey through the Forest — The Paraense Bishop's Sus- 
picions of Dr. Kidder— State of Beligion at Par£ 539 



\ 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

PAGE 

Amazonas — Its Discovery — El Dorado — Gongalo Pizarro — His Expedition — Cruel- 
ties — Sufferings — Desertion of Orellana — His Descent pf the River — Fable of the 
Amazons — Fate of the Adventurer — Name of the River — Settlement of the 
Country — Successive Expeditions up and down the Amazon — Sufferings of 
Madame Godin — Present State — Victoria Regia — Steam-Navigation — Effects of 
Herndon and Gibbon's Report — Peruvian Steamers — The Future Prospects of the 
Amazon 563 

Conclusion 582 

Notes 590 

APPENDICES. 

Appendix A. — Chronological Summary of the Principal Events that have transpired 
in the History of Brazil 591 

Appendix B. — Abstract of the Brazilian Constitution, sworn to on the 25th of 
March, 1824, and revised in 1834 593 

Appendix C. — Lines composed by D. Pedro IL 595 

Appendix D. — Slavery and the Slave-Trade in Brazil — England and Brazil 596 

Appendix E. — Tables of Brazilian Coins, Weights, and Measures 597 

Appendix F. — Population — The Yellow Fever of Brazil 699 

Appendix G. — Imports, Exports, Revenue, &o. of Brazil...., 604 

Appendix H. — Commerce and Steamship-Navigation between Brazil, and the United 
States and Europe 607 

Appendix L — Report from the Committee on the Post-Office and Post-Roads 623 



BAY OF 




THE SUGAR-LOAF, (ENTRANCE TO THE BAY OF RIO.) 



i;azit and tltc t 



CHAPTEE I. 

THE BAT OF BIO DE JANEIRO — HISTORIC REMINISCENCES — FIRST SIGHT OF THE 
TROPICS — ENTRANCE TO THE HARBOR — NIGHT-SCENES — IMPRESSIONS OF BEAUTY 
AND GRANDEUR — GARDNER AND STEWART — THE CAPITAL OF BRAZIL — DISTINC- 
TION OF RIO DE JANEIRO. 

The Bay of Naples, the Golden Horn of Constantinople, and the 

Bay of Eio de Janeiro, are always mentioned hy the travelled 

tourist as pre-eminently worthy to be classed together for their 

extent, and for the beauty and sublimity of their scenery. The first 

two, however, must yield the palm to the last-named magnificent 

sheet of water, which, in a climate of perpetual summer, is enclosed 

within the ranges of singularly-picturesque mountains, and is 

dotted with the verdure-covered islands of the tropics. He who, 

13 




14 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



in Switzerland, has gazed from the Quai of Yevay, or from the 
windows of the old Castle of Chillon, upon the grand panorama of 
the upper end of the Lake of Geneva, can have an idea of the 
general view of the Bay of Eio de Janeiro ; and there was much 
truth and beauty in the remark of the Swiss, who, looking for the 
first time on the native splendor of the Brazilian bay and its circlet 
of mountains, exclaimed, "C'est VSelvetie Meridionale I" (It is the 
Southern Switzerland !) 

What a glorious spectacle must have presented itself to those 
early navigators — De Solis, Majellan, and Martin Affonso de Souza — 
who were the first Europeans that ever sailed through the narrow 
portal which constitutes the entrance to Nitherohy, (Hidden 
Water,} as these almost land-locked waters were appropriately and 
poetically termed by the Tamoya Indians ! Though the moun- 
tain-sides and borders of the bay are still richly and luxuriantly 
clothed, then all the primeval forests existed, and gave a wilder 
and more striking beauty to a scene so enchanting in a natural 
point of view, even after three centuries of the encroachments of 
man. De Souza — as the common tradition runs — supposed that 
he had entered the mouth of a mighty river, rivalling the Orinoco 
and the Amazon, and named it Eio de Janeiro, (River of January,) 
after the happy month — January, 1531 — in which he made his 
imagined discovery. Whatever may have been the origin of this 
misnomer, it is not only applied to the large and commodious bay, 
but to the province in which it is situated, and to the populous metro- 
polis of Brazil, which sits like a queen upon its bright shores. 

We all of us know, either by our own experience or by that 
of others, what is the sight of land to the tempest-tossed voyager. 
When the broad blue circle of sea and sky, which for days and 
weeks has encompassed his vision, is at length broken by a shore, 
— even though that shore be bleak and desolate as the ice-moun- 
tains of the Arctic regions, — it is invested with a surpassing 
interest, it is robed in undreamed-of charms. What, then, must 
be the emotions of one who, coming from a latitude of stormy 
winter, beholds around him a land of perpetual summer, with its 
towering and crested palms, and its giant vegetation arrayed in 
fadeless green ! 

In December, 1851, when the Hudson and the Potomac were 



Entrance to the Harbor. 



15 



bridged by the ice-king, and clouds and snow draped the sky and 
the land, our good vessel stood out upon a stormy sea. A few 
weeks of gales and rolling waves, varied by light winds and calms, 
brought us to Cape Frio. This isolated peak shoots up as steeply 
as the chalk-cliffs of England, as high as the Eock of Gibraltar, 
and is covered to its very summit with verdure. No clouds — as I 
last beheld them in conjunction with terra firma — were frown- 
ing over this summer-land. The balmiest breezes were blowing, 
and the palms upon the adjacent hills were gracefully waving 
above the world of vegetation — so new to me — which gleamed in 
the warm sunlight. It was in the midst of such a scene that the 
day, not without evening-glories, faded away. The morning sun 
shone clearly, and the lofty mountain-range near the entrance to the 
harbor stood forth in an outline at once bold, abrupt, and beautiful. 

The first entrance of any one to the Bay of Eio de Janeiro forms 
an era in his existence : — 

"an hour 

Whence he may date thenceforward and forever." 

Even the dullest observer must afterward cherish sublimer views 
of the manifold beauty and majesty of the works of the Creator. 
I have seen the most rude and ignorant Eussian sailor, the im- 
moral and unreflecting Australian adventurer, as well as the culti- 
vated and refined European gentleman, stand silent upon the deck, 
mutually admiring the gigantic avenue of mountains and palm- 
covered isles, which, like the granite pillars before the Temple 
of Luxor, form a fitting colonnade to the portal of the finest bay 
in the world. 

On either side of that contracted entrance, as far as the eye can 
reach, stretch away the mountains, whose pointed and fantastic 
shapes recall the glories of Alpland. On our left, the Sugar-Loaf 
stands like a giant sentinel to the metropolis of Brazil. The round 
and green summits of the Tres Irmaos {Three Brothers) are in 
strong contrast with the peaks of Corcovado and Tijuca ; while 
the G-avia rears its huge sail-like form, and half hides the fading 
line of mountains which extends to the very borders of Eio Grande 
do Sul. On the right, another lofty range commences near the 
principal fortress which commands the entrance of the bay, and, 
forming curtain-like ramparts, reaches away, in picturesque head- 



16 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

lands, to the bold promontory well known to all South Atlantic 
navigators as Cape Frio. Far through the opening of the bay, and 
in some places towering even above the lofty coast-barrier, can be 
discovered the blue outline of the distant Organ Mountains, whose 
lofty pinnacles will at once suggest the origin of their name. 

The general effect is truly sublime; but as the vessel draws 
nearer to the bold shore, and we see, on the sides of the double 
mount which rises in the rear of Santa Cruz, the peculiar bright- 
leaved woods of Brazil, with here and there the purple-blooming 
quaresma-tree, — and when we observe that the snake-like cacti and 
rich-flowering parasites shoot forth and hang down even from the 
jagged and precipitous sides of the Sugar-Loaf, — and as we single 
out in every nook and crevice new evidences of a genial and pro- 
lific clime, — emotion, before overwhelmed by vastness of outline, 
now unburdens itself in every conceivable exclamation of surprise 
and admiration. 

The breeze is wafting us onward, and we pass beneath the white 
walls of the Santa Cruz fortress. A black soldier, dressed in a 
light uniform of enviable coolness, leans lazily over a parapet, 
while higher up on the ramparts a sentinel marches with leisurely 
tread near the glass cupola which, illuminated at night, serves as a 
guide to the entering mariner. Immediately an enormous trumpet 
is protruded from this cupola, and our good ship is saluted by a 
stentorian voice, demanding, in Portuguese-English, the usual 
questions put to vessels sailing into a foreign port. We soon glide 
from under the frowning guns of Santa Cruz, and are just abreast 
Fort Lage, celebrated as the first spot of the bay ever inhabited by 
civilized man. The scene which now opens before us is exquisitely 
beautiful. Far to our left, beneath the Sugar-Loaf, but nearer to 
the city, is the fortress of St. John, bright amid the surrounding 
verdure. Passing through a fleet of gracefully shaped canoes and 
market-boats, manned by half-clad blacks, we cling to the steep 
right-hand coast, which soon precipitously terminates, and reveals 
to us the lovely little Bay of Jurujuba, — the " five-fathom" bay of 
the English. Again looking to the opposite side, beyond St. John, 
we have a glimpse of the graceful Cove of Botafoga (the Bay of 
Naples in miniature) and the pretty suburb of the same name, 
which seems like a jewel set between the smooth white beach and 



Tropic Night-scenes. 



17 



the broad circle of living green. Here too we have another of the 
many views of the Corcovado and the Gavia, which, as we vary 
our position, are ever changing and ever beautiful. 

Now the vast city looms up before us, extending, with its white 
suburbs, for miles along the irregular shores of the bay, and run- 
ning far back almost to the foot of the Tijuca Mountains, diversified 
by green hills which seem to spring up from the most populous 
neighborhoods. These combined circumstances prevent a perfect 
view of Eio de Janeiro from the waters. While gazing upon the 
domes and steeples, on the white edifices of the city, and the bright 
verdure-clad Gloria, Santa Teresa, and Castello Hills, we are cut 
short in our admiration by the cry of a Brazilian official : — " Let go 
your anchor." The command is obeyed, and we are comfortably 
lying to under the formidable-looking guns of the Forteleza Yille- 
gagnon. Our vessel swings round and reveals to us on the opposite 
shore the city of Praia Grande, the parti-colored cliff of St. Do- 
mingo, and upon a mere rock, which seems a fragment of the ad- 
joining shore, the little church of Nossa Senhora de Boa Yiagem, 
in which Eoman Catholic voyagers are supposed to pay their vows, 
and around which many graceful palm-trees are nodding in the 
cool ocean-breeze. While awaiting the visit of the custom-house 
officers we remain upon deck, and tire not of scenes so novel and 
exciting. Little steamers and graceful falluas* are passing and re- 
passing from Praia Grande and St. Domingo. White sails are dot- 
ting the bay as far as the eye can reach, while all around us the 
serried masts of Brazilian and foreign vessels are evidences that we 
are in the midst of a vast and busy mart. 

The night soon succeeds the short twilight of the tropics, and the 
city from our ship seems like a land of fairy enchantment. Bril- 
liancy and novelty do not end with the day. Innumerable gas- 
lights line the immense borders of the city down to the very edge 
of the bay, and are reflected back from the water in a thousand 
quivering flashes. The very forms of the hills themselves are de- 
fined amid the darkness by rows of lamps extending over their 
verdure-clad summits, and seem like the fabled star-bridges of an 
Arabian tale. The steam ferry-boats bear various-colored lights, 



* See engraving on page 60. 
2 



18 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

and each vessel in the harbor has a lamp at its fore; while every 
turn of the wheel furrows through a diamond sea, and every dash 
of the oar and every ripple from the gentle evening breeze reveals 
a thousand brilliant phosphorescent animalculse illuminating the 
otherwise darkened waters. When we look above us we behold new 
constellations spangling the heavens, and their queen is the Southern 
Cross, guarded by her silent and mysterious attendants, the Magel- 
lan Clouds. The Great Bear has long since been hidden from us; 
but just peeping over the natural ramparts of the Organ Mountains, 
we see an old and a welcome friend in that beaming Orion, who here 
loses none of his northern splendor, and does not even pale before 
his rival of the Southern Hemisphere. Amid such scenes who 
could close their eyelids in sleep ? Dr. Kidder on one occasion, re- 
turning from the northern provinces, entered the harbor at night- 
fall during a squall, and thus describes the scene : — 

" We passed close under the walls of Fort Santa Cruz ; but, just 
as the vessel was in the most critical part of the passage, the wind 
lulled, and the current of the ebbing tide swept her back, and by 
degrees carried her over toward the rocks upon which Fort Lage 
is constructed. The moment was one of great excitement and 
danger. Our situation was perceived at the forts, which severally 
fired guns, and burned white and blue lights, in order to show us 
their position. 

" A more sublime scene can hardly be imagined. The rolling 
thunders of the cannon were echoed back by the surrounding 
mountain-peaks, and the brilliant glare of the artificial flames ap- 
peared the more intense in the midst of unusual darkness. Happily 
for the vessel and all on board, the wind freshened in time, and we 
were borne gallantly up to the man-of-war anchorage, where, at 
nine o'clock, we were lying moored to not less than seventy fathoms 
of chain. 

" The moon had not yet risen, and the evening remained very 
dark. This circumstance heightened the beauty of the city and 
the effect of her thousand lamps, which were seen brightly burn- 
ing at measured intervals over the hills and praias of her far- 
stretching suburbs. One young man was so enchanted with the 
novelty and splendor of the scene, that he remained on deck all 
night to gaze upon it, notwithstanding rain fell at intervals." 



Beauty and Grandeur. 



19 



More than one have had to confess that their first twenty-four 
hours before Eio have been spent in a perpendicular position with 
the eyes wide open, and could exclaim, with emphasis, — 

" Most glorious night ! 
Thou wert not sent for slumber." 

Every thing is so fresh, so novel and awakening, that we are like 
children on the eve of some great festival or the night before the 
first journey to some vast city with whose wonders the story-book 
and the improvisations of the nursery have filled the imagination 
to the full. 

I have again and again entered and quitted the Bay of Bio de 
Janeiro when the billows were surging and when the calm mantled 
the deep ; and, whether in the purple light of a tropic morning, 
in the garish noon, or in the too brief twilight of that Southern 
clime, it has always presented to me new glories and new charms. 
It has been my privilege to look upon some of the most celebrated 
scenes of both hemispheres; but I have never found one which 
combined so much to be admired as the panorama which we have 
attempted to describe. On»the Height of St. Elmo I have drank in 
as much of beauty from that curvilinear bay of Southern Italy, 
upon whose bosom float the isles of Capri and Ischia, and upon 
whose margin nestle the gracefully-shaped Yesuvius, the long arm 
of Sorrento, and the proverbially-brilliant city of Naples. I have 
seen very great variety in the blue, isle-dotted Bay of Panama; 
and I have beheld in the Alps, and in the western entrance to the 
Straits of Majellan, where the black, jagged Andes are rent asunder, 
scenes of wildness and sublimity without parallel; but, all things 
considered, I have yet to gaze upon a scene which surpasses, in 
combined beauty, variety, and grandeur, the mountain-engirdled 
Nitherohy. 

The above impressions were penned before I had read, with a 
single exception, one of the many detailed descriptions of the Bay 
of Bio de Janeiro ; and it occurred to me that those who had never 
seen the natural beauties of this region would not give ready 
assent to its exaltation above so many other places famous for 
their scenery. Such might say, "He is an enthusiast, an exagge- 
ratory I have since perused many books, journals, and letters 



20 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



on Brazil; and all — from the ponderous tomes of Spix and Yon 
Martius, down to the ephemeral lines of a contributor to the news- 
papers — are of one accord in regard to this wonderful bay. Though 
the works may be devoted to history, science, commerce, or to the 
epistolary correspondence of friends, in this respect they all bear a 
resemblance; for all draw the same portrait and from the same 
original. Indeed, when reading the description given by the late 
lamented English botanist, Gardner, I half suspected myself a 
plagiarist, though I had never read his interesting and truly 
valuable travels until my own account was written. 

Describing the entrance of the harbor, this naturalist says, — 
" Passing through the magnificent portal of the bay, we came to 
an anchor a few miles below the city, not being allowed to proceed 
farther until visited by the authorities. It is quite impossible to 
express the feelings which arise in the mind while the eye surveys 
the beautifully-varied scenery which is disclosed on entering the 
harbor, — scenery which is perhaps unequalled on the face of the 
earth, and on the production of which nature seems to have 
exerted all her energies. Since then I have visited many places 
celebrated for their beauty and their grandeur, but none of them 
have left a like impression on my mind. As far up the bay as the 
eye could reach, lovely little verdant and palm-clad islands were to 
be seen rising out of its dark bosom ; while the hills and lofty 
mountains which surround it on all sides, gilded by the rays of the 
setting sun, formed a befitting frame for such a picture. At night 
the lights of the city had a fine effect; and when the land-breeze 
began to blow, the rich odor of the orange and other perfumed 
flowers was borne seaward along with it, and, by me at least, 
enjoyed the more from having been so long shut out from the 
companionship of flowers. Ceylon has been celebrated by voyagers 
for its spicy odors ; but I have twice made its shores, with a land- 
breeze blowing, without experiencing any thing half so sweet as 
those which greeted my arrival at Bio." 

The description given by the Eev. C. S. Stewart is valuable in 
showing the impressions of this magnificent bay upon one who 
had, since his first visit to Brazil, viewed some of the most re- 
nowned scenes in the world : — 

"I was anxious to test the fidelity of the impressions received 



The Capital of Brazil. 



21 



twenty years ago from the same scenery, and to determine how 
far the magnificent picture still lingering in my memory was 
justified by the reality, or how far it was to be attributed to the 
enthusiasm of younger years and the freshness of less experienced 
travel. The early light of the morning quickly determined the 
point. I was hurried to the deck by a message from Lieutenant 
E , already there, and do not recollect ever to have been im- 
pressed with higher admiration by any picture in still life than by 
the group of mountains and the coast-scene meeting my eyes on 
the left. The wildness and sublimity of outline of the Pao de 
Assucar, Duos Irmaos, Gavia, and Corcovado, and their fantastic 
combinations, from the point at which we viewed them, can scarce 
be rivalled; while the richness and beauty of coloring thrown 
over and around the whole, in purple and gold, rose-color, and 
ethereal blue, were all that the varied and glowing tints of the 
rising day ever impart. ~No fancy-sketch of fairy-land could sur- 
pass this scene, and we stood gazing upon it as if fascinated by the 
work of a master-hand/' 

The city of Eio de Janeiro, or San Sebastian, is at once the 
commercial emporium and the political capital of the nation. 
While Brazil embraces a greater territorial dominion than any 
other country of the New World, together with natural advan- 
tages second to none on the globe, the position, the scenery, 
and the increasing magnitude of its capital render it a metro- 
polis worthy of the empire. Eio de Janeiro is the largest city 
of South America, the third in size on the Western Continent, 
and boasts an antiquity greater than that of any city in the 
United States. 

Its harbor is situated just within the borders of the Southern 
Torrid Zone, and communicates, as before described, with the 
wide-rolling Atlantic, by a deep and narrow passage between two 
granite mountains. This entrance is so safe as to render the ser- 
vices of a pilot entirely unnecessary. So commanding, however, 
is the position of the various fortresses at the mouth of the harbor 
upon its islands and on the surrounding heights, that, if efficiently 
manned by a body of determined men, they might defy the hostile 
ingress of the proudest navies in the world. 

Once within this magnificent bay of Nitherohy, the wanderer 



22 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



of the seas may safely moor his bark within hearing of the roar of 
the ocean-surf. 

The aspect which Eio de Janeiro presents to the beholder bears 
no resemblance to the compact brick walls, the dingy roofs, the 
tall chimneys, and the generally-even sites of our Northern cities. 
Its surface is diversified by hills of irregular but picturesque shape, 
which shoot up in different directions, leaving between them flat 
intervals of greater or less extent. Along the bases of these hills, 
and up their sides, stand rows of buildings, whose whitened walls 
and red-tiled roofs are in happy contrast with the deep-green 
foliage that always surrounds and often embowers them. 

The most prominent eminence, almost in front of us, is the Morro 
do Castello, which overlooks the mouth of the harbor, and on 
which is the tall signal-staff that announces, in connection with the 
telegraph on Babylonia Hill, the nation, class, and position of every 
vessel that appears in the offing. Upon our right we see the 
convent-crowned hill of San Bento; and if we could have a bird's- 
eye view from a point midway between the turrets of the convent 
and the signal-staff of Morro do Castello, we should see the city 
spread beneath us, with its streets, steeples, and towers, its public 
edifices, parks, and vermillion chimneyless roofs, and its aqueducts 
spanning the spaces between the seven green hills, constituting a 
gigantic mosaic, bordered upon one side by the mountains, and on 
the other by the blue waters of the bay. 

From the central portion of the city the suburbs extend about 
four miles in each of the three principal directions, so that the 
municipality of Bio de Janeiro, containing three hundred thousand 
inhabitants, covers a greater extent of ground than any European 
city of the same population. 

Here dwell a large part of the nobility of the nation, and, for a 
considerable portion of the year, the representatives of the different 
provinces, the ministers of state, the foreign ambassadors and 
consuls, and a commingled populace of native Brazilians and of 
foreigners from almost every clime. That which in the popular 
estimation, however, confers the greatest distinction upon Bio, is 
not the busy throng of foreign and home merchants, sea-captains, 
ordinary Government-officials, and the upper classes of society; but 
it is in the fact that here resides the imperial head of Brazil, the 



Distinction of Rio de Janeiro. 



23 



young and gifted Dom Pedro II., who unites the blood of the Bra- 
ganzas and the Hapsburgs, and under whose constitutional rule 
civil liberty, religious toleration, and general prosperity are better 
secured than in any other Government of the New World, save 
where the Anglo-Saxon bears sway. 

Attractive as may be the natural scenery and the beauties of art 
abounding in any country, it must be confessed that human exist- 
ence, with its weal or woe, involves a far deeper interest. And the 
traveller but poorly accomplishes his task of delineating the pre- 
sent, if he leaves unattempted some sketches of the history of the 
past as an introduction to the scenes and events which have come 
under his own observation. After glancing rapidly at some of the 
most striking sights and customs of Rio de Janeiro, I shall intro- 
duce a brief sketch of its past history. 



HOTEL PHAROUX. 



CHAPTEE II. 

LANDING HOTEL PHAROUX — NOVEL SIGHTS AND SOUNDS — THE PALACE SQUARE — 

RUA DIREITA — EXCHANGE — THE " TEAM " — MUSICAL COFFEE-CARRIERS — CUSTOM- 
HOUSE — LESSONS IN PORTUGUESE, AND GOVERNOR KENT'S OPINION OF BRAZIL 

POST-OFFICE — DISLIKE OF CHANGE SENHOR JOSE" MAXWELL RUA DO OUVIDOR 

SHOPS AND FEATHER-FLOWERS THE BRAZILIAN OMNIBUS CAN BE FULL 

NARROW STREETS AND POLICE-REGULATIONS — A SUGGESTION TO RELIEVE 
BROADWAY, NEW YORK — PASSEIO PUBLICO — BRAZILIAN POLITENESS — THE "GON- 
DOLA" — THE BRAZILIAN IMPERTURBABLE — LACK OF HOTELS — FIRST NIGHT IN 
RIO DE JANEIRO. 

The stranger who, with anxious expectation, has paced the deck 
of his vessel as it lies at anchor under Yillegagnon, knows no more 
welcome sound than the permission from the Custom-House and 
health officers to land and roam through the city which for hours 
before his eyes have visited. The blacks who have come from the 
shore now return, pulling their heavy boat lustily along, for they 
are sure of a treble price from the newly-arrived. Who that has 
visited Eio de Janeiro will not at a glance recognise the landing- 
place depicted in the engraving? Hotel Pharoux, the Palace Stairs, 
and the Largo do Paco, (Palace Square,) are associated with Eio de 

Janeiro in the mind of every foreign naval officer who has been on 
24 



Novel Sights and Sounds. 



25 



the Brazil station. But changes have taken place, and greater are 
in contemplation, among this slow-moving people. Hotel Pharoux 
still lifts its white walls ; but it is modernized, and the old restau- 
rant and stable in the basement have given way to shell-merchants 
and feather-flower dealers, and the dining-room is upon the second 
floor. We no longer land at the Palace Stairs, where formerly at 
flood-tide the waters of the bay dashed and foamed against the 
stone parapet which at this point marked their limit. The square 
has been extended into the waves, and soon the Government will 
have fine quays along the whole water-edge in this part of the 
city. 

Instead of the old granite steps, we ascend the wooden stairs at 
the end of a long jetty. Here our boat has arrived, amid odors 
that certainly have not been wafted from "Araby the blest," and 
we learn that the sewerage of Eio is a portable instead of an under- 
ground affair. The sense of hearing, too, is wounded by the con- 
fused jabbering of blacks in the language of Ongo, the shouts 
of Portuguese boat-owners, and by the oaths of American and 
English sailors. Once clear of this throng, what novel sights and 
sounds astonish us ! A hackney-coachman, in glazed hat and red 
vest, invites us to a ride to the Botanical Gardens; a smart-looking 
mulatto points to his "Hansom" hard by the Hotel de France. 
Before their words are ended, the roll of drums and the blast of 
bugles attract our attention in another direction. There, in front 
of the old palace, is drawn up a handful of the National Guard, 
composed of every imaginable complexion, from white to African; 
and now, as every day at noon, they remove their helmets, listen 
for a moment with religious veneration to the strain of music 
which the black trumpeters puff out from swelling cheeks, and then 
resume, with the exception of the sentinels, their difficult task of 
loitering in the corridors of the huge building, or basking in the 
sunshine, until another sound of the bugle shall call them to change 
guard or fall into ranks at vespers. 

We are not yet ready to try the vehicles of Eio de Janeiro; so 
we dismiss our would-be coachmen, and look around us in the 
Largo do Paco. 

At the Palace Square the stranger finds himself surrounded by a 
throng as diverse in habits and appearance, and as variegated in 



26 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



complexion and costume, as his fancy ever pictured. The majority 
of the crowd are Africans, who collect around the fountain to 
obtain water, which flows from a score of pipes, and, when caught 
in tubs or barrels, is borne off upon the heads of both males and 
females. 

The slaves go barefooted, but some of them are gayly dressed. 
Their sociability when congregated in these resorts is usually 
extreme, but sometimes it ends in differences and blows. To pre- 
vent disorders of this kind, soldiers are generally stationed near 
the fountains, who are pretty sure to maintain their authority 
over the unresisting blacks. Formerly there were only a few 
principal fountains; now there are large chafariz in all the 




THE LARGO DO PACO, AND R U A DIRE17A, FROM THE PALACE. 



squares, and at the corners of every third or fourth street are 
smaller streams of the pure element, which flow at the turning of 
a stopcock. 

The Palace is a large stone building, exhibiting the old Portuguese 



The Palace Square. 



27 



style of architecture. It was long used as a residence by the vice- 
roys, and for a time by Dom John VI., but is now appropriated to 
various public offices, and contains a suite of rooms in which court 
is held on gala-days. The buildings at the rear of the Palace 
Square (represented on the left of the engraving) were all erected 
for ecclesiastical purposes. The oldest was a Franciscan convent, 
but has long since been connected with the Palace, and used for 
secular purposes. The old chapel, with its short, thick tower, 
remains, but has been superseded, in popularity as well as in 
splendor, by the more recently-erected imperial chapel, which, 
without belfry, stands at its right. Adjoining the imperial chapel 
is that of the third order of Our Lady of Mount Carmel, which is 
daily open, and is used as a cathedral. The steeples of this church 
during certain festivals are illuminated to the very crosses, and 
present a splendid appearance from the shipping. 

The streets of the city are generally quite narrow; but the Rua 
Direita, which is seen in the above cut beyond the Largo do Pa§o, 
is wide, and well paved with small square blocks of stone which are 
brought from the Isle of Wight. The Rua Direita and many of 
the principal streets of Eio de Janeiro are now as well paved as 
the finest thoroughfares of London or Vienna, presenting a great 
contrast to the former irregular and miserable pavement, which 
was in use up to 1854. The Rua Direita and the Largo do Rocio 
are the points whence omnibuses start for every portion of the vast 
city and its suburbs. 

The houses seldom exceed three or four stories; but a four-story 
house at Eio is equal in height to one of five in New York. For- 
merly nearly all were occupied as dwellings, and even in the streets 
devoted to business the first floors only were appropriated to the 
storage and display of goods, while families resided above. But 
since 1850 this has greatly changed in the quarter where the 
wholesale houses are found: proprietors and clerks now reside in 
the picturesque suburbs of Botafogo, Engenho Velho, and across 
the bay at Praia Grande or San Domingo. Every evening presents 
an animated spectacle of crowded steamers, full omnibuses, and 
galloping horses and mules, all conveying the negociantes and 
caxeiros (bookkeepers) to their respective residences. 

The distant steeples on our left are those of the Church of 



28 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Candelaria, which is situated on a narrow street back from the 
Bua Direita. It is the largest church in the city, and presents 
taller spires and a handsomer front than any other. 

The Praca do Commercio, or Exchange, occupies a prominent 
position in the Eua Direita. This building, formerly a part of the 
Custom-House, was ceded by Government for its present purposes 
in 1834. It contains a reading-room, supplied with Brazilian and 
foreign newspapers, and is subject to the usual regulations of such 
an establishment in other cities. Beneath its spacious portico 
the merchants of eight or nine different nations meet each other 
in the morning to interchange salutations and to negotiate their 
general business. The Exchange is not far from the Custom-House, 
which formerly had its main entrance adjoining the Praca. 




A RIO TEAM. 



Nothing can be more animated and peculiar than the scenes 
which are witnessed in this part of the Eua Direita during the 
business-hours of the day,— viz. : from nine a.m. to three p.m. It is 
in these hours only that vessels are permitted to discharge and receive 
their cargoes, and at the same time all goods and baggage must be 
despatched at the Custom-House and removed therefrom. Conse- 
quent upon such arrangements, the utmost activity is required to 
remove the goods despatched, and to embark those productions of 
the country that are daily required in the transactions of a vast 
commercial emporium. There are the black-coated merchants 



The Musical Coffee-Carriers. 



29 



congregated about the Exchange, and here comes a negro dray. 
The team consists of five stalwart Africans pushing, pulling, steer- 
ing, and shouting as they make their way amid the serried throng, 
unmindful of the Madeira Islander, who, with an imprecation and 
a crack of his whip, urges on a thundering mule-cart laden with 
boxes. Now an omnibus thunders through the crowd, and a large 
four-wheeled wagon, belonging to some company for the trans- 
portation of "goods," crashes in its wake. Formerly all this labor 
was performed by human hands, and scarcely a cart or a dray was 
used in the city, unless, indeed, it was drawn by negroes. Carts 
and wagons propelled by horse-power are now quite common ; but 
for the moving of light burdens and for the transportation of furni- 
ture, pianos, &c. the negro's head has not been superseded by any 
vehicle. 




C O F F E E-C A R R I E R S. 



While we are almost stunned by the sounds of the multitude, we 
have a new source of wonderment. Above all the confusion of the 
Eua Direita, we hear a stentorian chorus of voices responding in 
quick measure to the burden of a song. We behold, over the heads 
of the throng, a line of white sacks rushing around the corner of 
the Eua de Alfandega, (Custom-House Street.) We hasten to that 
portion of Eua Direita, and now see that these sacks have each a 
living ebony Hercules beneath. These are the far-famed coffee- 
carriers of Eio. They usually go in troops, numbering ten or 



30 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



twenty individuals, of whom one takes the lead and' is called the 
captain. These are generally the largest and strongest men that 
can he found. While at work they seldom wear any other gar- 
ment than a pair of short pantaloons ; their shirt is thrown aside 
for the time as an encumbrance. Each one takes a bag of coffee 
upon his head, weighing one hundred and sixty pounds, and, when 
all are ready, they start off upon a measured trot, which soon 
increases to a rapid run. 

As one hand is sufficient to steady the load, several of them fre- 
quently carry musical instruments in the other, resembling chil- 
dren's rattle-boxes : these they shake to the double-quick time of 
some wild Ethiopian ditty, which they all join in singing as they 
run. Music has a powerful effect in exhilarating the spirits of the 
negro; and certainly no one should deny him the privilege of 
softening his hard lot by producing the harmony of sounds which 
are sweet to him, though uncouth to other ears. It is said, how- 
ever, that an attempt was at one time made to secure greater 
quietness in the streets by forbidding them to sing. As a conse- 
quence, they performed little or no work; so the restriction was 
in a short time taken off. Certain it is that they now avail them- 
selves of their vocal privileges at pleasure, whether in singing and 
shouting to each other as they run, or in proclaiming to the people 
the various articles they carry about for sale. The impression 
made upon the stranger by the mingled sound of their hundred 
voices falling upon his ear at once is not soon forgotten. 

We now turn from the busy throng of the Eua Direita, and in a 
few minutes we ascend the steps of a stately building, over whose 
portico we read, in huge green letters, — 

ALFANDEGA. 

We will not stop to trace the origin of this word and many others 
in the Portuguese tongue beginning with^4i, to their Moorish origin, 
but will immediately inform the reader that it is the first word he 
learns in Brazil, and one which, in various languages, most tra- 
vellers in foreign countries have occasion to remember. This is 
the Custom-House. We enter a vast hall of fine architecture, 
lighted by a graceful dome. There are hundreds of despatchers, 
merchants, and officers. But what a contrast to the noisy multi- 



The Custom-House. 



31 



tude of the Eua Direita ! All are uncovered, and, as each enters 
the hall, the hat is removed and not replaced until the portico is 
again reached. What a capital discipline for Anglo-American 
visitors and for English and North American shipmasters, whose 
head-coverings seem to be a portion of their corporeal existence ! 
I once heard Albert Smith, in one of his delightful conversaziones, 
say that in foreign lands an Englishman considers it a part of the 
British constitution not to take off his hat except when " God save 
the Queen" may accidentally fall upon his ear. The Brazilian is 
very strict in the outward observance of politeness; and, as he 
would never enter a private residence without removing his hat, 
so he considers that he should not enter any of the edifices belong- 
ing to the Government of his Emperor without showing the same 
respect. 

In the centre of the hall, on an elevated platform, is the chief- 
collector, who is constantly engaged in signing despatches and 
various other custom-house papers, which are noiselessly handed 
him by sub-officers and clerks. The collector-in-chief, who presides 
over the Alfandega of Bio de Janeiro, is Senhor S. Palo Yianna, 
of Bahia, who, though strict and almost rigorous in the administra- 
tion of his office, is a gentleman of great intelligence and amenity 
of manner. He takes a deep interest in the finances of the empire, 
and his annual statement is clear and full of important information 
to the commercial statistician. His predecessor was Sr. Ferraz, to 
whom is greatly due the immense reforms that have taken place 
in the custom-house of Bio de Janeiro. Formerly it was most 
corruptly administered : bribery was the rule and not the excep- 
tion. To this day some most wonderful stories are told of the 
year 1844, when the treaty between England and Brazil expired, 
by limitation, in the month of November. Bales, bags, and boxes 
went through the Custom-House with astonishing rapidity; and 
there is a tradition that the entire cargo of a schooner entered the 
rear of the Alfandega, and in a remarkably short time emerged 
from the Portao Grande, {Great Boor.) But there is no longer 
opportunity for such abuses ; and the largest custom-house of the 
empire is as well conducted as those of Germany or France. 

At the left of the chief-collector, in the rear of a row of sup- 
porting columns, — is the guarde mor, — Sr. Leopoldo Augusto da 



32 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Camara Lima, who is known to every ship-captain as Senhor 
Leopoldo. This gentleman, who speaks the English language most 
fluently, has been arrayed on the liberal side of Brazilian politics 
for the last twenty years, and was in the front rank of those who 
condemn the African slave-trade, which was so completely abolished 
in 1850. 

The vast warehouses of the Alfandega extend quite to the sea- 
side.* Here conveniences are constructed for landing goods under 
cover. Once out of boats or lighters, they are distributed and 
stored in respective departments, until a requisition is formally 
made for their examination and despatch. The removal of the 
various articles within the Custom-House, as well as their 
transportation to the great door of exit, is facilitated by means of 
small iron railways extending to every portion of the many 
buildings. 

That troublesome delays should occasionally occur in the despatch 
of goods and baggage is not surprising to any one acquainted with 
the tedious formalities required by the laws; nor would it be 
strange, if, among the host of empregados or sub-oflicers connected 
with this establishment upon very limited pay, some are occasionally 
found who will embarrass your business at every step until their 
favor is conciliated by a direct or indirect appropriation of money 
to their benefit ; but this is more rare than formerly. 

Most of the large commercial houses have a despatching-clerk, 
whose especial business it is to attend upon the Alfandega; and 
the stranger who is unaccustomed to the language and customs of 
the country will always avoid much inconvenience by obtaining 
the services of one of these persons. From my own experience in 
passing books and baggage through the different custom-houses 
of Brazil, I am prepared to say that a person who understands and 
endeavors to conform to the laws of the country may expect in 
similar circumstances to meet with kind treatment and all reason- 
able accommodations. If, however, a glance at your watch tells 
you, in the midst of your labors and difficulties, that three o'clock 



* In the "View of Rio de Janeiro from the Island of Cobras," merely the 
water-front of the Alfandega is seen extending above the entire width of the palm- 
tree in the foreground. 



Lessons in Portuguese. 



33 



is near at hand, and you undertake to urge the sub-collector to ex- 
pedite matters, you are sure to receive in reply, "Paciencia, senhor." 
This is our second Wesson in Portuguese; and the third soon follows 
in response to our demand, "When can these things be de- 
spatched V 1 "Amanhaa" (to-morrow,) is promptly given. But should 
you succeed in getting through the portao grande about the time 
that huge door is being closed up for the day, you will witness a 
lively scene. Boxes, bales, and packages of every species of goods, 
cases of furniture, pipes of wine, and coils of rope, lie heaped 
together in a confusion only equalled by the crowd of clerks, 
feitors, and negroes, who block up the whole Bua Direita in their 
rush to obtain possession of their several portions, and in their 
vociferations to hasten the removal of their merchandise. 

We are perhaps wishing to expedite the tall Mina blacks whom 
we have engaged to transport our luggage to its place of desti- 
nation. By signs manual our meaning is comprehended, but we 
receive a very cool "Esperou urn pouco, senhor," (Wait a little, sir,) 
which completes our studies in Portuguese for the day. And what 
a lesson we have received ! 

Paciencia y amanhaa, and esperou um pouco ! These words in action 
stare the nervous, impatient, tearing, fretting Anglo-American, 
everywhere throughout Brazil. The Hon. Ex-Governor Kent, 
whose name is associated with the Northeastern boundary and 
with the politics of New England, was for four years a resident of 
Eio de Janeiro as U.S. Consul, and for a portion of the time as 
acting Charge d' Affaires. It was his deliberate opinion that Brazil 
was the best place in existence to cool a fervid, speech-making, 
community-exciting Yankee. I have laughed heartily at his dry 
humorous manner, as he has unfolded con amore this subject : — 

"There is to a quietly-disposed, mild man, past the meridian of 
life, who has seen many of the rough sides of humanity, something 
agreeable and pleasant in the tranquil, calm, noiseless habits of the 
Brazilians. To live a whole year and never attend a caucus or an 
indignation-meeting, to hear nothing about elections, to see no 
gatherings of the people, to read no placards calling upon the sove- 
reigns to rise and vindicate their rights, to listen to no stump- 
speeches or dinner-orations, never once to be importuned to walk or 

ride in a political procession, to see not one torchlight-pageant in 

3 



34 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



honor of a victory which has saved the country and the offices, — in 
short, to live without politics,— is, to one who is inclined to quiet, 
or who has been wearied out in the service, soothing and delightful." 

Though the nation, by steamships and railroads and general 
prosperity, is daily becoming more active, yet it may be still pre- 
dicated that the Brazilian is not accustomed to be startled and 
shocked by other people's miseries and woes. With a free and 
well-supported press, his nature demands no thrilling evening 
editions, filled with long and minute accounts of the last steamboat 
disaster, fearful accidents, or horrible murders. As a general thing, 
he thinks the moral, physical, and political worlds will turn on 
their own axes without his interference. Hence it was, doubtless, 
that some of the far-seeing and really wide-awake statesmen of 
Bio proposed a fine of five dollars to be imposed upon each citizen 
who did not come up to the polls of the municipal election and de- 
posit his vote. 

' Almost every one who arrives at Bio is expecting letters that 
have anticipated him by the English steamer, and, as soon as his 
trunks are relieved from the Custom-House, he makes his way to 
the Correio Geral, or General Post-Office, in the Bua Bireita. You 
pass by a large vestibule, with a stone floor, occupied by several 
soldiers, either on guard or sleeping on benches at the extremities 
of the room, and upon inquiry you ascertain that the Postmaster 
General and the larger portion of his employees are in the rooms 
above. We enter the front-door of the large apartment adjoining 
this vestibule. On the right, behind a high counter, are the letters 
and newspapers of the Post-Office, distributed, not in boxes, accord- 
ing to alphabetical order, but in heaps, according to the places 
from whence they have come; as, for instance, from the Mines, 
from St. Paul's, and other important points. Corresponding to 
this, on the sides of the room, are hung numerical lists of names, 
arranged under the head of Cartas de Minas, de S. Paulo, &c. The 
letters, with the exception of those belonging to certain mercantile 
houses, and to those who pay an annual subscription to have their 
correspondence sent them, are thrown together promiscuously, and 
he who comes first has the privilege of looking over the whole 
mass and selecting such as belong to himself or his friends. This 
method has been somewhat modified since the establishment of 



The Post-Office. 



35 



steam-lines to Europe. On the day that the steamer arrives an 
immense crowd gathers at the Post-Office ; but the letters, instead 
of being investigated by all upon the counter, are carefully kept 
in the back-part of the hall, where four persons at a time are ad- 
mitted. Although in such a method of letter-delivery there is an 
apparent liability to frequent mistakes, yet in my own experience 
losses of letters never occurred. The whole system is, however, 
clumsy and inconvenient for a city of three hundred thousand in- 
habitants. I was informed at Eio that some years since Mr. Gor- 
don, of Boston, who was then U.S. Consul, offered to the Brazilian 
Government to put their chief Post-Office on the same footing of 
efficiency that existed in the United States. Mr. Gordon was ad- 
mirably qualified for this, having been for a number of years the 
postmaster of the largest distributing and seaport office in Xew 
England. His offer was not accepted; for the Brazilians, though 
more progressive than most South American people, still inherit 
many characteristics from their Portuguese ancestors, and a pro- 
minent one is dislike of change. The little progress that the 
mother-country has made during the last few centuries is admirably 
illustrated in the following well-known story : — Once upon a time 
Adam requested leave to revisit this world : permission was 
granted, and an angel commissioned to conduct him. On wings 
of love the patriarch hastened to his native earth; but so changed, 
so strange, all seemed to him, that he nowhere felt at home till he 
Came to Portugal. " Ah, now/' exclaimed he, " set me down; every- 
thing here is just as I left it." 

The larger mails, departing coastwise, are very frequent, regular, 
and swift. This may also be said of the mail to Petropolis by 
steamboat, railway, and stage-coach; but, as a general thing, the 
inland transportation of letters is very slow. But when the D. 
Pedro II. Railway and similar constructions reach far into the 
interior, there will be of course corresponding improvement in this 
respect. The inland mails to the distant provinces depart once in 
five days, and return at corresponding intervals. Their transmis- 
sion through the country is slow and tedious, being performed on 
horseback or by foot-carriers, at an average, throughout the empire, 
of twenty miles in twenty-four hours. Charges for postage are 
moderate, and a traveller to any portion of the countiy is permitted 



36 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



to carry as many epistles as his friends will intrust to him, provided 
they have the Government stamp affixed to them. 

There is, however, one exception to the general cheapness of 
postage. It sometimes happens that books or packages which 
ought to have passed through the Custom-House find their way to 
the Post-Office, and then the expense is extravagant. If a person 
is dissatisfied with the amount charged, he can appeal to the deci- 
sion of the inspector-in-chief, and perhaps, after a proper explana- 
tion, the affair may be accommodated. In general, the civilities 
which a person will receive at the Post-Office of Bio de Janeiro are 
in happy contrast with the sullen and boorish indifference some- 
times experienced at similar places in the United States. 

Prom the Post-Office we next seek the large commercial trapiche 
(warehouse) of Messrs. Maxwell, Wright & Co. This establishment 
has long been known as the leading commission-house of Eio de 
Janeiro. It was built up under the supervision of the vigilant and 
prompt Mr. Joseph Maxwell, of Gibraltar, and various members 
of his family, in connection with the Messrs. Wright of Baltimore. 
Pew Americans and Englishmen have gone to Eio without receiving 
attentions from some one of the principals or employees of this 
house. At the abundantly-spread table in the dining-room of the 
trapiche, many have made their first acquaintance with Brazilian 
dishes and with the refreshing fruits of the tropics. 

In September, 1854, Sr. Jose Maxwell, the senior partner of this 
important firm, died; and probably the funeral of no other private 
citizen in the capital or the empire was ever attended by such a 
throng as that which followed to the grave the remains of this kind 
father, respected citizen, and honored merchant. 

We pass, by the Eua do Eosario, again into the Eua Direita, and 
continue our promenade up the Eua do Ouvidor, which is the com- 
bined Eue Yivienne, Eegent Street, and Broadway of Eio. It is 
not, however, either long or broad, but the shops upon it are bril- 
liant and in good taste. There is no part of the city so attractive 
to the recently -landed foreigner as this street, with its print-shops, 
feather-flower stores, and jewellery-establishments. The diamond, 
the topaz and emerald can here be purchased in any number, and 
are temptingly displayed behind rich plate-glass. The feather and 
insect-flowers manufactured in Brazil are original and most beauti- 



Feather-Flowers. 



3T 



fill. The early Portuguese found that the Indians adorned them- 
selves with the rich plumage of the unsurpassingly brilliant birds 
of the forest. In the Amazonian regions the aborigines have not 
lost either the taste or the skill of their ancestors, and, like the 
cultivators of roses, they are not content with the gorgeous colors 
which nature has painted, but by artificial means produce new 
varieties. Thus, on the Eio Negro, the Uaupe Indians have a head- 
dress which is in the highest estimation, and they will only part 
with it under the pressure of the greatest necessity. This orna- 
ment consists of a coronet of red and yellow feathers disposed in 
regular rows and firmly attached to a strong plaited band. The 
feathers are entirely from the shoulders of the great red macaw; 
but they are not those that the bird naturally possesses, for the 
Indians have a curious art by which they change the colors of the 
plumage of many birds. They pluck out a certain number of 
feathers, and in the various vacancies thus occasioned infuse the 
milky secretion made from the skin of a small frog. "When the 
feathers grow again they are of a brilliant yellow or orange color, 
without any mixture of green or blue as in the natural state of the 
bird; and it is said that the much-coveted yellow feather will 
ever after be reproduced without a new infusion of the milky 
secretion. 

In the National Museum on the Campo St. Anna, many of the 
carious head-dresses and feather-robes of the aboriginal tribes 
attract the attention of the visitor. 

There are few curiosities more esteemed in Europe and the 
United States than the feather-flowers of Eio de Janeiro and Bahia. 
They are made from the natural plumage, though from time to 
time the novice has palmed off upon him a bouquet, the leaves of 
which, instead of being from the parrot, have been stolen from the 
back of the white ibis and then dyed. This deception can, how- 
ever, be detected by observing the stem of the feather to be colored 
green, which never is the case in nature. No one travelling in the 
English steamers should postpone his purchases of these beautiful 
souvenirs of bright birds and Brazil until he arrives at Madeira, 
for the numerous pedlars of that island offer an inferior article 
made from artificially-colored feathers. Bahia is the cheapest mart 
for this kind of merchandise. No ornament can surpass the 



38 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



splendor of the flowers made from the breasts and throats of 
humming-birds. A lady whose bonnet or hair is adorned with 
such plumage seems to be surrounded with flashes of the most 
gorgeous and ever-varying brilliancy. The carnations and other 
flowers made from a happy combination of the feathers of the 
scarlet ibis and the rose-colored spoonbill are also very natural, 
and are highly prized. 

In these shops we may also find fish-scale flowers, and those 
manufactured from the wings of insects, and breast-pins which are 
made by setting a small brilliant beetle in gold. 

From the Eua do Ouvidor we turn into the Eua dos Ourives, 
(Goldsmiths' Street,) where are scores of shops filled with large 
quantities of silver and gold ornaments, from a spur to a crucifix. 

We now wend our way through the Largo do Francisco do Paula 
to the Largo do Eoscio, (or Theatre Square, as it is termed by the 
English,) where we take an omnibus for Botafogo. The Brazilian 
omnibus is very much like its prototype in all parts of the world, 
with this single and very important exception : — it is not elastic. 
A New York or Philadelphia omnibus is proverbially " never full;" 
but the same kind of vehicle in Eio can be filled, and, when once 
complete, the conductor closes the door, cries " Vamos embora," (Let 
us be off,) the driver flourishes his long thong and sets his four- 
mule team into a gallop. Away we go, rattling across gutters as 
if there were none, and rushing through narrow streets as if negro 
water-carriers had no existence. It is curious to behold the heavy- 
laden slaves clearing the street and dodging into open shop-doors 
as an omnibus appears in sight. Few accidents occur; and, when 
they do, prompt reparation is made. On one occasion I was in a 
" gondola" in the narrow Eua S. Jose. Our four long-eared beasts 
were plunging on at a fearful rate, and, being much more un- 
manageable than horses, could not be pulled up until the fore-wheel 
crunched upon the legs of a poor old mullatress. She was severely 
but not fatally injured, and was instantly cared for. The gondola- 
driver, however, I never saw again holding the reins. The House 
of Correction, or one of the many prisons, was, without doubt, his 
abode for the next few months. 

The streets, with their diminutive sidewalks, are so narrow that 
in many of them only one vehicle can pass at a time. I was more 




THE ROSE-COLORED SPOON BILL 

[PL ATA LEA A J A J A J 



I Sinclair s ohJM 8 - 



Narrow Streets and Police-Kegulations. 39 

than once reminded of Pompeii and Herculaneum, not only in some 
of the commonest utensils and mechanic implements, in the open 
shop-windows, and in the house of the Brazilian, who demands a 
fine parlor, (the atrium,) and yet will sleep in a windowless alcove 
like a dungeon's cell ) but in nothing was the resemblance more 
striking than in the narrow ruas, which, doubtless, had their 
origin in the desire to procure shade. Mr. George S. Hillard, in 
his thought-begetting "Six Months in Italy," says of the narrow 
thoroughfares of Pompeii, "As each vehicle must have occupied 
the space between the curbstones, we are left without any means 
of conjecturing what expedients were resorted to, or what police- 
regulations were in force, when two carriages, moving in different 
directions, met each other." If this accomplished author had 
visited Eio de Janeiro previous to his excursion to the buried cities 
of Magna Grecia, the mystery would have been solved. In the 
narrow Euas Ouvidor, Eosario, Hospicio, Alfandega, S. Jose, and 
others, carriages and omnibuses never meet; and so admirable are 
the police-regulations that no mistakes ever occur. At the corner 
of each of these streets where it is crossed by another, we see 
painted, with great distinctness, an index immediately under the 
name of the street. Thus, two of the streets mentioned above are 
adjacent to and parallel with each other, and are crossed by the 
Euas Direita and Quitanda. Upon their Eua Direita corners we 
behold the following : — 



RUA DO EOSARIO. 



SUA DO OUVIDOR, 



JSTow, if I am in a carriage at the point where the Euas Direita and 
Eosario cross each other, and I wish to visit a shop at the corner 
of the latter street and the Eua Quitanda, although it is more direct 
for me to ascend by the Eua do Eosario, yet my Jehu knows that 



40 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



if he should go contrary to the index he would be subjected to a 
heavy fine and forfeiture of certain privileges as a coachman. He 
therefore whirls through the Direita, up the Eua do Ouvidor, and 
along the Quitanda, travelling the three sides of the square, and 
thus avoiding all collision. 



Rua da Quitanda. 




Eua Direita. 



In the city of New York there has been for many years every 
imaginable proposition for the relief of Broadway, and there is 
scarcely a citizen or visitor in that vast emporium who has not on 
more than one occasion been subjected to great inconvenience by 
the regular " blockade" instituted every day in the lower part 
of that immense thoroughfare, the whole of which might have been 
avoided by the simple application of the Brazilian plan, and thus 
making the innumerable omnibuses, drays, carts, and carriages 
descend Broadway, and those vehicles that are uptownward ascend 
Greenwich Street. 

But onward rushes our omnibus at a rapid pace. We whirl by 
the Carioca Fountain, and, before we can give a second look at the 
green sides of the Antonio Hill, we are bowling along under the 
garden-walls of the lofty Adjuda Convent. All seems dismal, 
with the exception of the foliage that appears above the high 
enclosure. A turn brings us into the Largo da Ajuda, and at once 
we have the wonderful view — to Northern eyes at least — of the 
Passeio Publico, {Public Promenade,') and before us the verdant 
slopes of the Santa Theresa Hill. From beneath the tropic-trees 



The Passeio Publico. 



41 



which cover the latter, neat white cottages are peeping, and, for 
a residence, no elevation within the city is preferable to Santa 
Theresa. The Passeio Publico, which we are passing, was a 
favorite resort of mine at Eio j and at all times — whether at night, 
when it is brilliantly illuminated, or in the brightest hour of the 
day — it is one of the pleasantest promenades within the precincts 
of the municipality. Here are overhanging trees, blooming para- 




AQUEDUCT, LARGO DA LAPA, AND PASSEIO PUBLICO, FROM THE SANTA THERESA. 



sites, rare plants, shady walks, and cool fountains. On the side 
which fronts the bay is a large terrace, from which is a magnifi- 
cent prospect of the Gloria Hill, the distant Sugar-Loaf, and, far 
beyond, the rolling ocean. 

Having passed this public garden, we are in the square called 
Largo da Lapa. The palatial building on our right was purchased 
a few years ago for the National Library, and was formerly one 
of the most splendid private mansions in Eio. 

Over a superbly-paved street our omnibus is hurrying ; but from 



42 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



time to time an open gate or a tall Cape of Good Hope pine-tree 
tells us that gardens are in the rear of forbidding-looking walls. 
We dash along what is called the " Coast of Africa," — a long row 
of low houses on our right ; while on our left the bay is beneath 
us, and therefore, the street being unshaded, the appropriateness of 
the hot cognomen. That large three-story building, formerly the 
English Embassy, is a foundling hospital. The Chafariz of St. 
Theresa is built up against a portion of the living rock of the jutting 
hill whence it derives its name. After passing the flower-gardens 
of the Barao do Meriti and the Gloria Hill, our passengers begin 
to descend at the various streets which cross the Catete, which is 
the widest thoroughfare in this portion of the capital. Each per- 
son, as he rises to depart, lifts his hat, and the compliment is 
returned by every individual in the omnibus, though all may be 
entire strangers. No one ever enters a large public conveyance in 
Bio without saluting those within and receiving in return a polite 
acknowledgment of his presence. Yery frequently a pinch of snuff 
is offered to you by your unknown neighbor. I have seen gentle- 
men but recently returned from Brazil enter a New York omnibus 
and deferentially salute the inmates : the polite strangers were 
received with a smile of derision or looked upon with a stare 
of contempt. 

Each omnibus has painted in large characters upon its sides its 
capacity: thus, "14 pessoas" means that the vehicle is registered 
at the Bureau de Police to contain that number of persons, and 
one passenger more than the registered number would subject the 
company to a heavy fine. I have never seen more passengers 
within than the figures on the side indicated. 

I have more than once mentioned the "gondola," — that name 
associated with love-romance and Yenice, "moonrise high, mid- 
night, and the voice of song." When I first heard that melli- 
fluous term in Brazil, I fancied that the sharp and graceful little 
barges of the Queen of the Adriatic had been transported to the 
bright waters of Bio de Janeiro; but I soon discovered my mis- 
take, and ascertained that this sweet Italian word was used to 
designate most unpoetic four-wheeled vehicles, drawn by as many 
kicking, stubborn mules ! The gondola in every respect resembles 
the omnibus, save that no conductor accompanies it. You prepay 



The Gondola. 



43 



Senhor Bernardo or a Senhor somebody else at the Largo do Pago ; 
and if there are any way-fares, these are received by the driver. 
The gondola does not have the convenience which the New York 
omnibus possesses, in the shape of the leather strap by which the 
passenger causes the driver to pull up at the will of the former. 
In lieu of this, passengers make a very free use of canes, umbrellas, 
and fists, battering at a terrible rate the end of the gondola nearest 
the driver; or occasionally the leg of the latter is rather more 
warmly than affectionately embraced by the individual sitting next to 
the farther window. Sometimes the gondola cannot be " propelled''' 
by its living oars ; and, under such circumstances, when a Scotch- 
man, a Yankee, or a Frenchman will relieve himself of many hard 
words at the unfortunate Jehu, the Brazilians remain perfectly 
calm, not once descending to see what is the matter, and con- 
versing with one another as philosophically as if nothing had hap- 
pened. On one occasion I was witness to a scene which will scarcely 
be credited. As a gondola full of passengers was turning out 
of the Eua dos Ourives, it unfortunately "stuck." The driver 
shouted at his mules, thrashed them with his long raw-hide thong, 
tchewed* at them, and stamped his footboard, all to no purpose : 
the animals could not start the vehicle. Not one passenger got 
out, but all looked from the windows as if this was a part of the 
programme for which they had paid their dous testoes, (five English 
pence,) and they determined to have their money's worth. The 
poor driver was in deep distress : quite a crowd collected, but no 
one offered to aid him, until he, by sundry vintems, allured the ser- 
vices of several Africans, whose broad shoulders applied to the 
wheels, in conjunction with the pulling of the mules, moved gon- 
dola, passengers, and all. 

Having something of a philological turn, I inquired why these 
public conveyances were called gondolas. I was not long in ascer- 
taining that a monopoly had been granted to certain omnibus com- 
panies, which was considered onerous, but the municipal govern- 
ment could not in conscience abolish the contract or confer a new 



* A sound unrepresentable by letters, similar to that made in the United States 
in scaring chickens, by which all classes, high and low, in Brazil, call the atten- 
tion of others. 



44 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



charter upon another omnibus association; however, all scruples 
were finally overcome by granting privileges to a gondola company 
to carry passengers ! 

We will end our ride at the Ponta do Catete, and will thence 
make our way to the Hotel dos Estrangeiros, at the commencement 
of the Caminho Velho de Botafogo ; or we may walk a few steps 
farther, and enter Johnson's Hotel, on the Caminho Novo. The 
Hotel dos Estrangeiros is a large house kept on the French plan ; 
the Hotel Johnson is where Englishmen "most do congregate/' 
and where one can find more comfort than at any other establish- 
ment for the accommodation of the public in the city. Both are 
surrounded by verdure, whether we consider the neighboring gar- 
dens, or the adjacent hills, whose sides are covered with luxuriantly- 
foliaged trees and clambering vines. 

The stranger at Bio de Janeiro is usually surprised at the 
scarcity of inns and boarding-houses. There are several French 
and Italian hotels, with apartments to let ; and these are chiefly 
supported by the numerous foreigners constantly arriving and 
temporarily residing in the place. But among the native popula- 
tion, and intended for Brazilian patronage, there are only eight or 
ten inns in a city of three hundred thousand inhabitants, and 
scarcely any of these exceed the dimensions of a private house. 
It is almost inconceivable how the numerous visitors to this great 
emporium find necessary accommodations. It may safely be pre- 
sumed that they could not, without a heavy draught upon the 
hospitalities of the inhabitants, with whom, in many instances, 
a letter of introduction secures a home. In the lack of such a 
resort, the sojourner rents a room, and, by the aid of his servant 
and a few articles of furniture, soon manages to live, with more or 
less frequent resorts to some caza de pasto or restaurant. Most 
of the members of the National Assembly keep up domestic esta- 
blishments during their sojourn in the capital. As a consequence 
of this lack of hotels and boarding-houses, some of the commercial 
firms maintain a table for the convenience of their clerks and 
guests. This was once much more common; but, since 1850, pro- 
bably the greater portion of those formerly thus accommodated 
club together, rent a house in Botafogo, Praia Grande, or on the 
Santa Theresa, and keep up an establishment of their own. 



First Night in the Tropics. 



45 



Having thus been cicerone of the reader in his rapid whirl 
through this city of the tropics, I know of no fitter termination 
to the day than for him to imagine himself in one of the vast 
rooms of the Hotel dos Estrangeiros. 

For many days, in a narrow berth, you have been rudely rocked 
by the billows, and this is the first night on terra firma and a com- 
fortable bed. The windows of your apartment are wide open, and, 
as you close your eyes, the land-breeze, murmuring softly, bears 
upon its wings not only the sweet, fresh smell of the earth, but, 
stealing in its course from the adjacent gardens the fragrance of 
jessamines, the delicate scent of the flora-pondia, and the odor of 
the opening Orange-blooms, it loads the evening air with the 
richest aroma. The distant booming of the waves, as they break 
upon the Praia do Flamengo, is a soothing melody, which lulls 
you to dreams of scenes not more lovely than those around you, 
where are 

"Larger constellations burning, mellow moons and happy skies, 
Breadths of tropic shade, and palms in cluster, knots of paradise," — 

a land where 

"Slides the bird o'er lustrous •woodland, swings the trailer from the crag, 
Droops the heavy-blossom' d bower, hangs the heavy-fruited tree, — 
Summer-isles of Eden lying in dark purple spheres of sea." 



CHAPTER III. 

DISCOVEKT OF SOUTH AMERICA — PINZON's VISIT TO BRAZIL — CABRAL — COELHO 
— AMERICUS VESPUCIUS — THE NAME "BRAZIL" — BAY OF RIO DE JANEIRO — 
MARTIN AFFONSO DE SOUZA — PAST GLORY OF PORTUGAL — COLIGNY'S HUGUENOT 

COLONY — THE PROTESTANT BANNER FIRST UNFURLED IN THE NEW "WORLD 

TREACHERY OF VILLEGAGNON CONTEST BETWEEN THE PORTUGUESE AND THE 

FRENCH — DEFEAT OF THE LATTER — SAN SEBASTIAN FOUNDED — CRUEL INTOLE- 
RANCE — REFLECTIONS. 

Although the bay and city of Eio de Janeiro are fraught with 
interesting associations to the general student of history, and still 
more to the Protestant Christian as that portion of the New World 
where the banner of the Reformed religion was first unfurled, yet 
I have thought it best to introduce here a brief account of the 
early discovery and settlement of Brazil. 

Guanihani — that outpost of the New World — was beheld by 
European eyes six years before the discovery of South America. 
In 1498 ; Columbus landed near the mouth of the Orinoco. He 
recorded, in enthusiastic language, " the beauty of the new land," 
and declared that he felt as if " he could never leave so charming 
a spot." The honor, however, of discovering the Western hemi- 
sphere south of the equator must be awarded to Yincent Yanez 
Pinzon, who was a companion of Columbus, and. had commanded 
the "Niiia" in that first glorious voyage which made known to the 
Old World the existence of the New. Pinzon sailed from Palos in 
December, 1499, and, crossing the equator, his eyes were glad- 
dened, on the 26th of January, 1500, by a green promontory, 
which he called Cape Consolation. This is now known as Cape 
St. Augustine, the headland just south of the city of Pernambuco. 
He sailed thence northward, discovering the vast mouths of the 
Amazon, and touched at various points until he reached the 
Orinoco. 

When Pinzon beheld the palm-groves and densely-foliaged 

46 



Discoveries of Pinzon and Cabral. 



47 



forests, and had scented the spicy breezes which were wafted from 
the shore, he supposed that he was visiting India-bcj^ond-the- 
Ganges, and believed that he had already sailed past the renowned 
Cathay. In the name of Castile he took possession of the goodly 
land; but, before he reached Spain, Pedro Alvares Cabral, a distin- 
guished Portuguese navigator, had claimed the territory for his 
own monarch. On the return of Yasco da Gama to Portugal, in 
1499, with the certainty of having discovered the route to the 
Indies by the Cape of Good Hope, the king Bom Emanuel 
determined to send a large fleet to those famous regions, with 
instructions to enter into commercial relations with the Eastern 
sovereigns, or, in case of refusal, to make war upon them and sub- 
due them. The command of this expedition was intrusted to 
Cabral, and, on the 9th of March, the large fleet, with its fifteen 
hundred soldiers and mariners, sailed amid grand military and 
religious ceremonials, the king himself honoring the occasion by 
his august presence. With this handful of men, intended for the 
coercion of the Orient to the commercial notions of Portugal, 
Cabral directed his course to the Cape de Yerdes, and thence, in 
order to avoid the calms which prevail on the African coast, he ran 
so far to the westward, that, without any intention on his part, he 
discovered, on the 21st of April, 1500, the same land which, ninety 
days previously, had been visited by Pinzon. Cabral's discovery 
was, however, in the present province of Espirito Santo, near 
Kount Pascal, which is eight degrees south of Cape St. Augustine. 

Some Brazilian writers grudgingly mention the voyage of Pin- 
zon; others ignore him altogether, wishing seemingly to ascribe 
all the glory to one of their own Portuguese ancestors. Doubtless 
Cabral was led by the trade-winds and by the currents — of which 
he was not aware — to the coast of Brazil, and thus made his for- 
tunate discovery. To-day, vessels sailing from Europe for the East 
Indies can (as is well demonstrated by Lieutenant Maury's wind 
and current charts) make the swiftest voyages by taking advan- 
tage of the wonderful trade-winds, steering first toward South 
America and afterward in the direction of the Cape of Good Hope. 
Pinzon set forth from Palos with the intention of making Western 
discoveries; Cabral sailed from Lisbon with instructions to pro- 
ceed to the Eastern discoveries of Yasco da Gama; but, because a 



48 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



happy accident (some say a fierce storm) forced his fleet to Brazil, 
and that, too, months after the landing of the Spanish navigator 
at Cape St. Augustine, there is neither reason nor justice in the 
national pride which endeavors to take away the priority of dis- 
covery from Yincent Yanez Pinzon, 

On Easter Sunday mass was celebrated; and on the 1st of May 
this solemnity was repeated, and, in the presence of thousands 
of the aborigines, a huge cross was erected, bearing the insignia 
of Bom Emanuel, and the land, to which they gave the name of 
Vera Cruz, was solemnly taken possession of in the name of the 
King of Portugal.* 

It was the Padre Frei Henrique, of Coimbra, who conducted the 
religious ceremonies, and in which he was piously joined (so reads 
the chronicle) by os indigenos imitando os gestos e movimentos dos 
Portugezes, (the savages imitating the gestures and movements of 
the Portuguese.) 

Two convicts were left with the natives, and one of these after- 
ward became of great use as an interpreter. Cabral despatched 
Gaspar de Lemos to Lisbon, to inform the monarch of the dis- 
covery and appropriation of the new land of the True Cross, and 
then pursued his route to the East Indies. The Pope of Borne 
laid down a rule regulating the proprietorship of countries dis- 
covered by Spain and Portugal, and thus was disposed the question 
between Pinzon and Cabral. 

The king Bom Emanuel was deeply interested in the intelli- 
gence brought him by Gaspar de Lemos, and, in May, 1501, sent 
out to his new dominions three caravellas under the command 
of Gongalo Coelho.f In one of these vessels was Americus Yes- 
pucius. This expedition partook more of the character of failure 
than of success, and was replaced, in 1503, by a second, which, 
consisting of double the number of ships employed in the first, 
sailed, according to some authorities, under Christopher Jacques ;f 
according to others, under the same Gongalo Coelho,J accompanied 



* Historia do Brazil, by Gen. J. I. de Abreu Lima. Rio de Janeiro, 1843. 
f Ibid. vol. i. chap. ii. 

X Epitome da Hist, do Brazil, (by Jose Pedro Xavier Pinheiro. Bahia, 1854,) 
chap. i. p. 27. 



The Name "Brazil.' 



49 



again by Americus. Four of these vessels were lost, with the 
commander-in-chief; but the lucky Florentine escaped, and lived 
to deprive, indirectly, the new territory of the name conferred 
upon it by Cabral. (1) 

The two remaining ships entered a bay, now supposed to be the 
spacious Bahia de Todos os Santos, and afterward coasted south- 
ward two hundred and sixteen leagues, and there remained five 
months anchored near the land, and maintained amicable relations 
with the natives. Here they erected a fortress, and left in it 
twenty-four men. 

As the most valuable part of the cargo which Americus Yes- 
pucius carried back to Europe was the well-known dyewood, Ccesal- 
pinia Braziliensis, — called, in the Portuguese language, jpau brazil, 
on account of its resemblance to brazas, " coals of fire/' — the land 
whence it came was termed the " land of the brazil-wood;" and, 
finally, this appellation was shortened to Brazil, and completely 
usurped the names Vera Cruz or Santa Cruz. {2) This change was 
not effected without protestations on the part of some, — not because 
their taste for euphony was shocked, but on the ground that the 
cause of religion required a sacred title to the fairest possession 
of faithful Lusitania in the New World. One of the reverendis- 
simos declared that it was through the express interposition of the 
devil that such a choice and lovely land should be called Brazil 
instead of the pious cognomen given to it by Cabral. Another — 
a. devoted Jesuit — poured forth a jeremiad on the subject, con- 
cluding, with emphasis, by stating what a shame it was that "the 
cupidity of man, by unworthy traffic, should change the wood 
of the cross, red with the real blood of Christ, for that of another 
wood which resembled it only in color" ! 

Other voyages were undertaken at the order of Spain and of 

Portugal, — thus making known the whole coast of Eastern South 

America from the Amazon to the Straits of Majellan. Among the 

navigators at the head of these expeditions were De Solis and Ma- 

jellan, (Magalhaes.) In 1515, De Solis sailed on his Southern voyage, 

and discovered the Eio de la Plata, which at first bore his own name. 

On his way thither, he entered the bay now known as Eio de Janeiro. 

Fernando de Majellan, a Portuguese in the service of Charles I. of 

Spain, sailed, in 1519, to discover the western passage to the Indies. 

4 



50 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



On the 13th of December he entered the bay previously visited by 
De Solis, and remained there until the 27th of the same month, and 
gave to it the name of Bahia (bay) de Santa Luzia, — the day of his 
entrance being the anniversary of that saint. He afterward coasted 
along the continent until he entered those straits which still bear 
his name, and which were for a century the only known highway 
to the Pacific. Majellan was the first to circumnavigate the globe. 

The usual account of the origin of the term Bio de Janeiro, so 
inappropriately given to a bay, has already been referred to. The 
facts seem to be adverse to the generally-accepted explanation that 
Martin Affonso de Souza discovered this sheet of water — which he 
supposed to be a river — on the 1st of January, 1531. It is incon- 
testable that it was entered twice at least several years previous to 
his departure from Portugal. Martin Alfonso de Souza was a 
Portuguese gentleman of noble lineage, and of high estimation in 
the court of Dom John III. The king, having received information 
of the visits of Spaniards to the coasts which he considered his 
own, determined to send an expedition, commanded by De Souza, 
to Brazil. De Souza had plenary powers on land and on sea, and 
was to fortify and distribute the new territory. He was the first 
donatory of Portugal in Brazil, and sailed from Lisbon on the 3d 
of December, 1530. In a few weeks he sighted Cape St. Augustine, 
near which he encountered three French vessels. He gave them 
battle, came off victorious, and took them in triumph to the pre- 
sent harbor of Pernambuco. After refitting, he came to Bahia de 
Todos os Santos, where was the little settlement of the shipwrecked 
Diogo Alvares Correa, (Caramuru,) whose romantic history is nar- 
rated in another portion of this work. After some delay, he again 
sailed southward, and, on the 30th of April, 1531, entered the bay 
which had already been named Santa Luzia and Bio de Janeiro. 
By reflecting for a moment upon the- time (December 3, 1530) when 
Martin Affonso de Souza departed from Lisbon, and the various 
events and delays of the voyage, we can easily perceive that it 
would be an impossibility to sail more than five thousand miles, 
(and his were not modern clipper-ships,) fight and capture three 
vessels, refresh successively at two different ports, and then 
reach the Bay of Bio de Janeiro on the 1st of January, 1531. (3) 
Aside from this, we have the direct and simple statement of Pero 



Past Glory op Portugal. 



51 



Lopes de Souza, brother to the commander, which not only settles 
the date of their arrival, but the fact that the bay or supposed 
river was previously known as Rio de Janeiro, — viz. : " Saturday, 
30th of April, at four o'clock in the morning, we were in the mouth 
of Eio de Janeiro. 

Martin Affonso de Souza formed no settlement on the shores of 
the magnificent bay which he had entered, but contented himself 
with remaining there for a few months, where he constructed three 
brigantines, and then sailed to the coast of the present province 
of Sao Paulo. At a place which possessed no great natural ad- 
vantages he commenced the first European colony (Yespucius's 
handful of men and Caramuru's wigwams cannot be called the 
earliest settlements) in Brazil, and named it St. Vincent. St. Yin- 
cent no longer exists, unless its existence may be predicated in the 
few miserable houses and the broken fountain which mark the 
spot where was laid the first stone of the proudest colony of Por- 
tugal. On the margin of that spacious and protected harbor which 
De Souza rejected for an exposed arm of the sea, has sprung up the 
first commercial city of South America, and the third in the New 
World. 

It will not be uninstructive to glance at the position, at that 
time, of the kingdom which sent forth Diaz, Yasco da Gama, 
Cabral, Coelho, Christopher Jacques, Yespucius, and De Souza, 
upon new and hazardous voyages of discovery. The territory of 
.European Portugal was then no greater than at present ; but her 
ambitious monarchs and her daring navigators had pushed their 
conquests and discoveries not only along the whole western and 
eastern coasts of Africa, but to "the farthest Ind." Bartholomew 
Diaz beheld the Cape of Good Hope six years before Columbus 
discovered America ; and Yasco da Gama doubled the same cape 
ere the great Genoese landed at the mouth of the Orinoco. Por- 
tugal had flourishing colonies in Angola, Loango, and Congo, before 
Cortez had burned his ships in the Mexican Gulf. Before the 
Honorable East India Company was dreamed of, Portuguese vice- 
roys and Portuguese commercial enterprises swayed it over mil- 
lions in Hindostan and Ceylon. They trafficked with the distant 
Peguans and the little-known Burmese, on the banks of the Irra- 
waddy, three hundred years before Judson proclaimed, near the 



52 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



same river, the gospel of the blessed Saviour. Centuries before the 
English possessed Hong-Kong or the Americans had opened Japan 
by commercial treaties, Portugal owned Macao, held intercourse 
with the curious Chinese, traded with the Japanese, and, through 
her priests, led more than half a million of those almond-eyed 
islanders to embrace the doctrines of Eome. Of her immense 
acquisitions by conquest and discovery, that of Brazil was not to 
be the least in its importance and future destiny. "When we look 
at what Portugal was and what she is, we can only exclaim, "How 
are the mighty fallen \" Portugal has been weighed in the balance 
and found wanting. Shorn of all her possessions in the East except 
a territory (comprising Goa and a few unimportant islands) not so 
large as the State of South Carolina, her commerce is now scarcely 
known in the Indian Seas. Her dominion west of Asia is limited 
to her own small European kingdom, to languishing colonies in 
Africa, and to a few islands in the Atlantic. She owns not an inch 
of territory in the Western World, where once she had a quarter 
of the continent. She had not the conservative salt of a pure Chris- 
tianity to preserve her morality and her greatness. Like Spain, 
she became at once the patron and the protectress of the Inquisi- 
tion ; and, though the Portuguese are far more tolerant than the 
Spaniards, yet the Government of Portugal held on to that cursed 
engine of Eoman intolerance until 1821. The contrast between 
Holland and Portugal forces itself upon the consideration of all. 
They are both nearly of the same European area and population, 
both were great maritime nations in the sixteenth century, and 
both made extensive conquests in the East. But, while neighbor- 
ing states have created a mercantile marine since the era referred 
to, Holland, in this respect, still ranks as the third power in 
Europe and the fourth in the world, and her internal prosperity 
has not declined. Her credit has always maintained the highest 
place among the nations of the earth, while Portugal has been 
more than once on the verge of bankruptcy. Holland to-day 
governs twenty-two millions of people, who are prosperous and 
advancing, whether in the Eastern or the Western hemisphere. 
Portugal, in all her dominions, rules less than one-third of that 
number. The former is distinguished for tolerance and intelli- 
gence ; the latter, under the blighting shadow of the Papacy, has, 



Coligny's Huguenot Colony. 



53 



even in the latter half of the nineteenth century, manifested nar- 
rowness and bigotry, (5) and her people, as a whole, have been the 
most ignorant of Europe. The last few years have, however, we 
trust, been the precursor of a better era for Portugal. Her young 
and enlightened monarch has come to the throne with enlarged 
views, and it is fondly hoped that his subjects will be elevated, and 
that Portugal will assume a position more in accordance with the 
historical traditions of those days when her kings were energetic, 
and when her navigators laid at her feet the treasures of the 
world. 

Eeturning from this digression, let us again watch the progress 
of events in the new acquisitions of Portugal in the Western World. 

Other eyes than those of Spanish navigators were looking toward 
Brazil, and to that very portion of it which had been slighted by 
Martin Alfonso de Souza. Among the adventurers from Prance 
was Nicholas Durand de Yillegagnon, a Knight of Malta, a man 
of considerable abilities, and of some distinction in the French 
service. He had even been appointed to the gallant post of com- 
mander of the vessel which bore Mary, Queen of Scots, from Prance 
to her own realms. Yillegagnon aspired to the honor of establish- 
ing a colony in the New World, and Eio de Janeiro was the chosen 
spot for his experiment. He had the address, in the outset, to 
secure the patronage of the great and good Admiral Coligny, 
whose persevering attempt to plant the Eeformed religion in 
both North and South America was a leading feature in his life 
up to the time when St. Bartholomew's Eve was written in 
characters of blood. 

Yillegagnon proposed to found an asylum for the persecuted 
Huguenots. Admiral Coligny' s influence secured to him a respect- 
able number of colonists. The French court was disposed to view 
with no small satisfaction the plan of founding a colony, after the 
example of the Portuguese and Spaniards. 

It was in the year 1555 that Henry II., the reigning king, fur- 
nished three small vessels, of which Yillegagnon took the com- 
mand and sailed from Havre de Grace. A gale of wind occurred 
while they were yet on the coast, and obliged them to put into 
Dieppe, which they accomplished with considerable difficulty. By 
this time many of the artificers, soldiers, and noble adventurers 



54 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



had become sick of the sea, and abandoned the expedition so soon 
as they reached the shore. 

After a long and perilous voyage, Yillegagnon entered the Bay 
of Nitherohy, and commenced fortifying a small island near the 
entrance, now denominated Lage, and occupied by a fort. His 
fortress, however, being of wood, could not resist the action of the 
water at flood-tide, and he was obliged to remove farther upward, 
to the island now called Yillegagnon, where he built a fort, at first 
named in honor of his patron, Coligny. This expedition was well 
planned, and the place for a colony fitly chosen. The native tribes 
were hostile to the Portuguese, but had long traded amicably with 
the French. Some hundreds of them assembled on the shore at 
the arrival of the vessels, kindled bonfires in token of their joy, and 
offered every thing they possessed to these allies who had come to 
defend them against the Portuguese. Such a reception inspired 
the French with the idea that the continent was already their own, 
and they denominated it La France Antarctique. 

It was upon this island that they erected their rude place of 
worship, and here these French Puritans offered their prayers and 
sang their hymns of praise nearly threescore years and ten before 
a Pilgrim placed his foot on Plymouth Eock, and more than half a 
century before the Book of Common Prayer was borne to the 
banks of the James Biver. 

On the return of the vessels to Europe for a new supply of colo- 
nists, considerable zeal was awakened for the establishment of the 
Beformed religion in these remote parts. The Church of Geneva 
became interested in the object, and sent two ministers and four- 
teen students, who determined to brave all the hardships of an 
unknown climate and of a new mode of life in the cause. It is 
interesting to reflect that when the Beformation was yet in its 
infancy, the subject of propagating the gospel in distant parts 
of the world was one that engaged the hearts of Christians in the 
city of Geneva while Calvin, Farel, and Theodore de Beza were 
still living. It would be difficult to find an earlier instance of 
Protestant missionary effort. 

As the situation of the Huguenots in France was any thing but 
happy, the combined motive of seeking deliverance from oppression 
and the advancement of their faith appears to have prevailed 



The Treachery of Villegagnon. 



55 



extensively, and induced many to embark. When we look at the 
incipient movements of this enterprise, without the knowledge 
of its conclusion, there seems as much reason to hope that the 
principles of the Eeformation would have taken root here, as they 
did afterward in North America, where they have produced a 
harvest of such wonderful results. 

But misfortunes seemed to attend every step of the enterprise. 
At Harfleur, the Papist populace rose against the colonists, and 
the latter, after losing one of their best officers in the conflict, 
were obliged to seek safety in retreat. They had a tedious voyage, 
suffering at one time from a violent storm; and, having neared 
the Brazilian coast, had a slight encounter with the Portuguese. 
However, they were received by Villegagnon with apparent cor- 
diality, and effectual operations began to be undertaken for their 
establishment. But it was not long before certain untoward circum- 
stances occurred which developed the real and villanous character 
of their leader. 

Having gained over to his complete influence a certain number 
who cared not for spiritual piety, Villegagnon, under pretence 
of changing his religion and returning to the true faith, com- 
menced a series of persecutions. Those who had come to Antarctic 
France to enjoy liberty of conscience found their condition worse 
than before. They were subjected to abusive treatment and great 
hardships. This unnatural defection consummated the premature 
ruin of the colony. The newly-arrived colonists demanded leave 
to return, which was granted, but in a vessel so badly furnished 
that some refused to embark, and the majority, who persisted, 
endured the utmost misery of famine. Villegagnon had given 
them a box of letters, wrapped in sere-cloth, as was the custom. 
Among them was one directed to the chief magistrate of the port 
where they might chance to arrive, in which this worthy friend 
of the Guises denounced the men whom he had invited out to 
Brazil to enjoy the peaceable exercise of the Reformed religion, as 
heretics worthy of the stake. The magistrates of Hennebonne, 
where they landed, happened to favor the Eeformation, and thus 
the malignity of Villegagnon was frustrated, and his treachery 
exposed. Of those who had feared to trust themselves to a vessel 
so badly stored, and so unfit for the voyage, three were put to 



56 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



death by this persecutor. Others of the Huguenots fled from him 
to the Portuguese, where they were compelled to apostatize, and 
to profess a religion which they abhorred. 

The homeward-bound colonists were reduced to the greatest 
extremity, and, from want of food, they not only devoured all the 
leather, — even to the covering of their trunks, — but in their despair 
they attempted to chew the hard, dry brazil-wood which hap- 
pened to be in the vessel. Several died of hunger j and they had 
begun to form the resolution of devouring each other, when land 
appeared in view. They arrived just in time to undeceive a body of 
Flemish adventurers ready to embark for Brazil, and also about ten 
thousand Frenchmen, who would have emigrated if the object of 
Coligny in founding his colony had not thus been wickedly betrayed. 

Though the Portuguese were so jealous of the Brazilian trade 
that they treated all interlopers as pirates, yet, by some oversight, 
they permitted this French colony to remain four years unmolested; 
and, had it not been for the treachery of Yillegagnon to his own 
party, Bio de Janeiro would probably have been, at this day, the 
capital of a French colony or of an independent State in which the 
Huguenot element would have been predominant. 

The Jesuits were well aware of this danger, and ^N"obrega, their 
chief and provincial, at length succeeded in rousing the court of 
Lisbon. A messenger was commanded to discover the state of the 
French fortifications. On the ground of his report, orders were 
despatched to Mem de Sa Barreto, governor of the colony, and 
resident at San Salvador, to attack and expel the intruders who 
remained. Having fitted out two vessels-of-war and several mer- 
chantmen, the governor, taking the command in person, embarked, 
accompanied by Xobrega as his prime counsellor. They appeared 
off the bar at Bio early in 1560, with the intention of surprising 
the island at the dead of night. Being espied by the sentinels, 
their plan was foiled. The French immediately made ready for 
defence, forsook their ships, and, with eight hundred native archers, 
retired to their forts. 

With reinforcements from St. Yincente, Mem de Sa won the land- 
ing-place, and, routing the French from their most important holds, 
so intimidated them that, under cover of the night, they fled, some 
to their ships and some to the mainland. 



Defeat of the French. 



57 



The Portuguese, not being strong enough to keep the position 
they had taken, demolished the works, and carried off the artillery 
and stores which they found. A short time after this, new wars, 
made by the native tribes, broke out against them, and were prose- 
cuted at different points with great ferocity for several years. In 
the mean time, the French recovered strength and influence. Pre- 
parations were again made to extirpate them. A party of Portu- 
guese and friendly Indians, under the command of a Jesuit appointed 
by Xobrega, landed near the base of the Sugar-Loaf, and, taking a 
position now known as Praia Yermelha, maintained a series of 
indecisive skirmishes with their enemies for more than a year. 
Occasionally, when successful, they would sing in triumphant hope 
a verse from the Scriptures, saying, " The bows of the mighty are 
broken/' &c. Well might they call the bows of the Tamoyos 
mighty; for an arrow sent by one of them would fasten a shield to 
the arm that held it, and sometimes would pass through the body, 
and continue its way with such force as to pierce a tree and hang 
quivering in the trunk. 

Nobrega at length came to tbe camp, and at his summons 3Iem 
de Sa again appeared with all the succors he could raise at San 
Salvador. All was made ready, and the attack deferred forty-eight 
hours, in order to take place on St. Sebastian's Day. The auspicious 
morning came, — that of January 20, 1567. The stronghold of the 
French was stormed. Xot one of the Tamoyos escaped. 
. Southey most justly remarks, never was a war in which so little 
exertion had been made, and so little force employed on both sides, 
attended by consequences so important. The French court was too 
busy in burning and massacring Huguenots to think of Brazil, and 
Coligny, after his generous plans had been ruined by the villanous 
treachery of Yillegagnon, no longer regarded the colony : the day 
for emigration from his country was over, and they who should 
have colonized Eio de Janeiro were bearing arms against a bloody 
and implacable enemy, in defence of every thing dear to man. 
Portugal was almost as inattentive to Brazil; so that, few and 
unaided as were the Antarctic French, had Mem de Sa been less 
earnest in his duty, or Nobrega less able and less indefatigable in 
his opposition, the former would have retained their place, and 
perhaps the entire country have this day been French. 



58 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Immediately after his victory, the governor, conformable to his 
instructions, traced out a new city, which he named San Sebastian, 
in honor of the saint under whose patronage the field was won, and 
also of the king of the mother-country. The name of San Sebas- 
tian has been supplanted by that of Kio de Janeiro. 

In connection with the event just narrated, there remains on 
record a melancholy proof of the cruelty and intolerance of the 
victors. According to the annals of the Jesuits, Mem de Sa stained 
the foundations of the city with innocent blood. " Among the 
Huguenots who had been compelled to fly from Yillegagnon's per- 
secution was one John Boles, a man of considerable learning, being 
well versed both in Greek and Hebrew. Luiz de Gram caused him 
to be apprehended, with three of his comrades, one of whom feigned 
to become a Boman Catholic; the others were cast into prison; and 
there Boles had remained eight years, when he was sent for to be 
martyred at Bio de Janeiro, for the sake of terrifying his country- 
men, if any should be lurking in those parts." 

The Jesuits are the only historians of this matter. They pre- 
tend that Boles apostatized, having been convinced of his errors 
by Anchieta, a priest greatly celebrated in the annals of Brazil. 
But, by their own story, it is not very probable that a man who 
for eight long years had steadfastly refused to renounce the religion 
of his conviction would now yield. Boles doubtless proved a stub- 
born unbending Protestant, and for this suffered a cruel death. 
And, notwithstanding the statement that he was to be slain as an 
example to his countrymen, " if any should be found lurking in 
those parts," it was not the custom of Borne to put to death those 
who renounced their errors and came into her protecting fold. 

"When Boles was brought out to the place of execution, and the 
executioner bungled in his bloody office, " Anchieta hastily inter- 
fered, and instructed him how to despatch a heretic as speedily as 
possible, — fearing, it is said, lest he should become impatient, being 
an obstinate man, and newly reclaimed, and that thus his soul 
would be lost. The priest who in any way accelerates the execu- 
tion of death is thereby suspended from his office ; but the biogra- 
pher of Anchieta enumerates this as one of the virtuous actions of 
his life." 

Though Bio de Janeiro was thus founded in blood, there is no 



Reflections. 



59 



Roman Catholic country in the world freer from bigotry and in- 
tolerance than the Empire of Brazil. 

Thus failed the establishment of Coligny's colony, upon which 
the hopes of Protestant Europe had for a short time been concen- 
trated ; and Eio de Janeiro will ever be memorable as the first spot 
in the Western hemisphere where the banner of the Reformed 
religion was unfurled. It is true that the attempt was made upon 
territory which had been appropriated by Portugal; still, a question 
might arise as to the right of priority in the discovery of this por- 
tion of Brazil, for it is certain that the Spaniard, De Solis, and also 
Majellan, Ruy Faleiro, and Diogo Garcia, Portuguese navigators in 
the service of Spain, entered the Bay of Nitherohy long before 
Martin Affonso de Souza. In whatever way this may be settled, 
the fact of the failure of this Huguenot effort is full of food for 
reflection; and we can fully sympathize with the remarks of the 
author of " Brazil and La Plata," in regard to the treachery of 
Villegagnon, and the consequent defeat of the aims of the first 
French colonists: — - 

"With the remembrance of this failure in establishing the Re- 
formed religion here, and of the direct cause which led to it, I 
often find myself speculating as to the possible and probable results 
which would have followed the successful establishment of Protest- 
antism during the three hundred years that have since intervened. 
With the wealth, and power, and increasing prosperity of the United 
States before us, as the fruits at the end of two hundred years' 
colonization of a few feeble bands of Protestants on the compara- 
tively bleak and barren shore of the Northern continent, there is 
no presumption in the belief that had a people of similar faith, 
similar morals, similar habits of industry and enterprise, gained 
an abiding footing in so genial a climate and on a soil so exuberant, 
long ago the still unexplored and impenetrable wilderness of the 
interior would have bloomed and blossomed in civilization as the 
rose, and Brazil from the sea-coast to the Andes would have become 
one of the gardens of the world. But the germ which might have 
led to this was crushed by the bad faith and malice of Villegagnon; 
and, as I look on the spot which bears his name, and, in the eyes of 
a Protestant at least, perpetuates his reproach, the two or three 
solitary palms which lift their tufted heads above the embattled 



60 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

walls, and furnish the only evidence of vegetation on the island, 
seem, instead of plumed warriors in the midst of their defences, 
like sentinels of grief mourning the blighted hopes of the long 
past." 




FORTRESS AND ISLAND OF V I L L E G A b IN N . 



But we should not look too " mournfully into the past;" for 
though, in the mysterious dealings of Providence no Protestant 
nation, with its attendant vigor and progress, sways it over that 
fertile and salubrious land, may we not to a certain extent legiti- 
mately consider the tolerant and fit Constitution of the Empire, 
and its good government, the general material prosperity, and the 
advancement of the Brazilians in every point of view far beyond 
all other South American nations, as an answer to the faithful 
prayers with which those pious Huguenots baptized Brazil more 
than three centuries ago ? 



CHAPTEK IV. 



EARLY STATE OF RIO — ATTACKS OF THE FRENCH — IMPROVEMENTS UNDER THE 

VICEROYS ARRIVAL OF THE ROYAL FAMILY OF PORTUGAL RAPID POLITICAL 

CHANGES — DEPARTURE OF DOM JOHN VI. — THE VICEROYALTY IN THE HANDS 
OF DOM PEDRO — BRAZILIANS DISSATISFIED WITH THE MOTHER-COUNTRY — DE- 
CLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE — ACCLAMATION OF DOM PEDRO AS EMPEROR. 

For one hundred and forty years after its foundation, the city 
of San Sebastian enjoyed a state of tranquil prosperity. This 
quietness was in happy contrast with the turbulent spirit of the 
age, and especially with the condition of the principal towns and 
colonies of Brazil ; nearly all of which, during the period referred 
to, had been attacked by either the English, the Dutch, or the 
French. In this interval the population and commerce of the j)lace 
greatly increased. 

At the commencement of the eighteenth century the principal 
gold-mines of the interior were discovered by the Paulistas, the 
inhabitants of San Paulo. These gave the name of Minas Geraes 
(General Mines) to a large inland province, which became then, 
as it still remains, tributary to the port of Eio de Janeiro. Gold- 
digging was found to produce here effects similar to those which 
resulted from it in the Spanish countries. Agriculture was nearly 
abandoned, the price of slaves — who had been early introduced — 
became enormous, and the general prosperity of the country retro- 
graded ; while every one who could rushed to the mines, in hope 
of speedily enriching himself. We even find that the curious and 
abnormal condition of California in 1848 had its counterpart three 
centuries ago in Brazil. 

Even the Governor of Eio, forgetful of his official character and 
obligations, went to Minas Geraes and engaged with avidity in the 
search for treasure. The fame of these golden discoveries sounded 

61 



62 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



abroad, and awakened the cupidity of the French, who, in 1710, 
sent a squadron, commanded by M. Du Clerc, with the intent of 
capturing Eio. The whole expedition was ingloriously defeated 
by the Portuguese, under Francisco de Castro, Governor of Eio 
de Janeiro. This officer possessed no military ability, but blun- 
dered into a victory over the French, and permitted horrid 
cruelties to be practised upon the prisoners. France was not 
slow to resent the inhumanity with which her men had been 
treated. 

M. Duguay Trouin, one of the ablest naval officers of the times, 
sought permission to revenge his countrymen and to plunder Eio 
de Janeiro. Individuals were found ready to incur the expenses 
of the outfit, in prospect of the speculation. The project was 
approved by Government, and an immense naval force was placed 
at Trouin' s disposal. 

This expedition was eminently successful. The tactics of the 
imbecile Castro did not succeed : the city was stormed, taken, and 
afterward ransomed for a heavy sum. It was during the bombard- 
ment that the convent of San Bento was battered by the balls, the 
marks of which are still visible. 

The plunder and the ransom were so great, that, notwithstand- 
ing, on the return-voyage of the French, a number of their vessels 
went down with twelve hundred men and the most valuable part 
of the booty, there remained to the adventurers a profit of ninety- 
two per cent, upon the capital they had risked in the outfit. 

From the time that Duguay Trouin' s squadron weighed anchor 
on their homeward voyage, no hostile fleet has ever entered the 
harbor of Eio de Janeiro. Great changes, however, have taken 
place in the condition of that city. 

In 1763 it superseded Bahia as the seat of government, and 
became the residence of the viceroys of Portugal. 

The more substantial improvements of the capital were under- 
taken at this period. The marshes, which covered a considerable 
portion of the spot where the town now stands, were drained and 
diked. The streets were paved and lighted. Cargoes of African 
slaves, who had hitherto been exposed in the streets for sale, 
exhibiting scenes of disgust and horror, and also exposing the 
inhabitants to the worst of diseases, were now ordered to be 



Improvements under the Viceroys. 



63 



removed to the Yallongo, which was designated as a general 
market for these unhappy beings. 

Fountains of running water were also multiplied. The great 
aqueduct which spans the Eua dos Arcos was then constructed; 
and in these and various other ways, the health, comfort, and 
prosperity of the city were promoted under the successive adminis- 
trations of the Count da Cunha, the Marquis of Lavradio, and Luiz 
de Yasconcellos 




GREAT AQUEDUCT— RUA DOS ARCOS. 



The system of government maintained during these periods 
throughout Brazil was absolute in the extreme, and by no means 
calculated to develop the great resources of the country. Never- 
theless, it was anticipated by the more enlightened statesmen of 
Portugal that the colony would some day eclipse the glory of 
the mother-country. None, however, could foresee the proximity 
of those events which were about to drive the royal family (the 
house of Braganza) to seek an asylum in the New World, and to 



64 



Beazil and the Bkazilians. 



establish their court at Eio de Janeiro. The close of the eighteenth 
century witnessed their development. 

The French Revolution and' the leading spirit which was raised 
up by it involved the slumbering kingdom of Portugal in the 
troubles of the Continent. Napoleon determined that the court 
of Lisbon should declare itself against its ancient ally, England, 
and assent to the Continental system adopted by the Imperial ruler 
of France. The Prince-Eegent, Dom John VI., promised, but hesi- 
tated, delayed, and finally, too late, declared war against England. 
The vacillation of the Prince-Eegent hastened events to a crisis. 
The English fleet, under Sir Sidney Smith, established a most 
rigorous blockade at the mouth of the Tagus, and the British 
ambassador left no other alternative to Dom John YI. than to 
surrender to England the Portuguese fleet, or to avail himself 
of the British squadron for the protection and transportation of 
the royal family to Brazil. The moment was critical : the army 
of Napoleon had penetrated the mountains of Beira; only an 
immediate departure would save the monarchy. No resource re- 
mained to the Prince-Eegent but to choose between a tottering 
throne in Europe and a vast empire in America. His indecisions 
were at an end. By a royal decree he announced his intention to 
retire to Eio de Janeiro until the conclusion of a general peace. 
The archives, the treasures, and the most precious effects of the 
crown, were transferred to the Portuguese and English fleets ; and, 
on the 29th of November, 1807, accompanied by his family and a 
multitude of faithful followers, the Prince-Eegent took his de- 
parture amid the combined salvos of the cannon of Great Britain 
and of Portugal. That very day Marshal Junot thundered upon the 
heights of Lisbon, and the next morning took possession of the 
city. Early in January, 1808, the news of these surprising events 
reached Eio de Janeiro, and excited the most lively interest. 

What the Brazilians had dreamed of only as a remote possible 
event was now suddenly to be realized. The royal family might 
be expected to arrive any day, and preparations for their reception 
occupied the attention of all. The Viceroy's palace was imme- 
diately prepared, and all the public offices in the Palace Square 
were vacated to accommodate the royal suite. These not being 
deemed sufficient, proprietors of private houses in the neighborhood 



Arrival of the Eoyal Family. 



65 



were required to leave their residences and send in their keys to 
the Yiceroy. 

Such were the sentiments of the people respecting the hospi- 
tality due to their distinguished guests, that nothing seems to 
have been withheld j while many, even of the less opulent families, 
voluntarily offered sums of money and objects of value to administer 
to their comfort. 

The fleet having been scattered in a storm, the principal vessels 
had put into Bahia, where Dom John VI. gave that carta regia 
which opened the ports of Brazil to the commerce of the world. 
At length all made a safe entry into the harbor of Eio, on the 7th 
of March, 1808. In the manifestations of joy upon this occasion, 
the houses were deserted and the hills were covered w T ith spec- 
tators. Those who could procured boats and sailed out to meet 
the royal squadron. The prince, immediately after landing, pro- 
ceeded to the cathedral, and publicly offered thanks for his safe 
arrival. The city was illuminated for nine successive evenings. 

In order to form an idea of the changes that have occurred in 
Brazil during the last fifty years, it must be remarked, that, up to 
the period now under consideration, all commerce and intercourse 
with foreigners had been rigidly prohibited by the narrow policy 
of Portugal. Yessels of nations allied to the mother-country were 
occasionally permitted to come to anchor in the ports of this mam- 
moth colony; but neither passengers nor crew were allowed to 
land excepting under the superintendence of a guard of soldiers. 
The policy pursued by China and Japan was scarcely more strict 
and prohibitory. 

To prevent all possibility of trade, foreign vessels — whether they 
had put in to repair damages or to procure provisions and water — 
immediately on their arrival were invested with a custom-house 
guard, and the time for their remaining was fixed by the authori- 
ties according to the supposed necessities of the case. As a conse- 
quence of these oppressive regulations, a people who were rich in 
gold and diamonds were unable to procure the essential implements 
of agriculture and of domestic convenience. A wealthy planter, 
who could display the most rich and massive plate at a festival, 
might not be able to furnish each of his guests with a knife at 

table, A single tumbler at the same time might be under the 

5 



66 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



necessity of making repeated circuits through the company. The 
printing-press had not made its appearance. Books and learning 
were equally rare. The people were in every way made to feel 
their dependence ; and the spirit of industry and enterprise were 
alike unknown. 

On the arrival of the Prince-Regent the ports were thrown open. 
A printing-press was introduced, and a Eoyal Gazette was pub- 
lished. Academies of medicine and the fine arts were established. 
The Royal Library, containing sixty thousand volumes of books, 
was opened for the free use of the public. Foreigners were in- 
vited, and embassies from England and France took up their 
residence at Rio de Janeiro. 

From this period, decided improvements were made in the con- 
dition and aspect of the city. New streets and squares were 
added, and splendid residences were arranged on the neighboring 
islands and hills, augmenting, with the growth of the town, the 
picturesque beauties of the surrounding scenery. The sudden and 
continued influx of Portuguese and foreigners not only showed 
itself in the population of Rio, but extended inland, causing new 
ways of communication to be opened with the interior, new towns 
to be erected, and old ones to be improved. In fact, the whole 
face of the country underwent great and rapid changes. 

The manners of the people also experienced a corresponding 
mutation. The fashions of Europe were introduced. From the 
seclusion and restraints of non-intercourse the people emerged into 
the festive ceremonies of a court, whose levees and gala-days drew 
together multitudes from all directions. In the mingled society 
which the capital now offered, the dust of retirement was brushed 
off, antiquated customs gave way, new ideas and modes of life 
were adopted, and these spread from circle to circle and from 
town to town. 

Business assumed an aspect equally changed. Foreign com- 
mercial houses were opened, and foreign artisans established them- 
selves in Rio and other cities. 

This country could no longer remain a colony. A decree was 
promulgated in December, 1815, declaring it elevated to the dig- 
nity of a kingdom, and hereafter to form an integral part of the 
United Kingdom of Portugal, Algarves, and Brazil. It is scarcely 



Rapid Political Changes. 



G7 



possible to imagine the enthusiasm awakened by this unlooked-for 
change throughout the vast extent of Portuguese America. Mes- 
sengers were despatched to bear the news, which was hailed with 
spontaneous illuminations from the La Plata to the Amazon. 
Scarcely was this event consummated when the queen, Donna 
Maria I., died. 

She was mother to the Prince-Regent, and had been for years in 
a state of mental imbecility, so that her death had no influence 
upon political affairs. Her funeral obsequies were performed with 
great splendor \ and her son, in respect for her memory, delayed 
the acclamation of his accession to the throne for a year. He was 
at length crowned, with the title of Dom John VI. The cere- 
monies of the coronation were celebrated with suitable magnifi- 
cence in the Palace Square, on the 5th of February, 1818. 

Amid all the advantages attendant upon the new state of things 
in Brazil, there were many circumstances calculated to provoke 
political discontent. It was then that bitter feelings toward the 
natives of Portugal sprang up, which, though modified, still exist 
throughout the Empire, and made, at a later date, the severance 
of Brazil from the mother-country more easy of accomplishment 
than the separation of the thirteen colonies of North America from 
the crown of Great Britain. There had always been, to a greater 
or less extent, a certain rivalry between the native Brazilian and 
the Portuguese j but now it found a new cause of excitement. The 
Government felt itself bound to find places for the more than 
twenty thousand needy and unprincipled adventurers who had 
followed the royal family to the New World. These men cared 
very little for the welfare of Brazil, either in the administration 
of justice or in acts for the benefit of the public. Their greatest 
interest by far was manifested in the eager desire to fleece the 
country and enrich themselves. Honors were heaped upon those 
Brazilians who had furnished house and money to the Prince- 
Regent; and, as he had nothing to give them but decorations, he 
was soon surrounded by knights who had never displayed either 
chivalry or learning. The excitement thus aroused in a country 
where titulary distinctions were hitherto almost unknown was 
intense. Every one aspired to become a cavalheiro or a com- 
mendador, and the most degrading sycophancy was practised to 



68 Brazil and the Brazilians. 



obtain the royal favor. Men who had been good traders in im- 
ported articles, or successful dealers in mandioca and coffee, once 
knighted, could never again' return to the drudgery and debasing 
associations of commercial life, and must live either on previously- 
acquired fortunes or seek Government employment. 

On this ground the native Brazilians and the newly-arrived 
Portuguese fought their first battles. They were rivals for place, 
and, once in office, the Brazilian was as open to every species of 
bribery and corruption as the most venal hanger-on of the court 
from Lisbon. The Brazilians, however, had one advantage over 
their adversaries. The natives sympathized most fully with their 
recently -knighted brethren, and listened to their complaints with 
a willing ear. These things, together with the wretched state of 
morals that prevailed at the court, were calculated to increase the 
jealousy of what the Brazilians considered a foreign dominion 
over them. The independence of the English North American 
colonies and the successful revolutionary struggle of some of the 
neighboring Spanish- American provinces still more augmented the 
uneasiness of the people ; and a consciousness of this increasing 
discontent, and a fear that Brazil might be induced to follow the 
example of her revolting Spanish neighbors, doubtless had a 
powerful influence upon the Government in making the con- 
cessions named. 

Tranquillity followed the erection of Brazil into a constituent 
portion of the kingdom; but it was of short duration. Discontent 
was at work. The intended revolt at Pernambuco in 1817 was 
betrayed to the Government, and the insurgents were prematurely 
compelled to take up arms, and suffered defeat from the troops 
sent against them by the Count dos Arcos. From this time there 
seems to have been a systematic exclusion of native Brazilians 
from commands in the army. 

Murmurs were gradually disseminated ; but they found no echo — 
as in the case of the North American colonies — from the press, 
which had, with common schools, followed in the immediate wake 
of the English colonists. The first, and at that time the only, 
printing-press in the country, was brought from Lisbon in 1808, 
and was under the direct control of the royal authorities. Its 
columns faithfully recorded for the Brazilian public the health of 



Departure of D. John VI. 



69 



all the European princes. It was filled with official edicts, birth- 
day odes, and panegyrics on the royal family; but its pages were 
unsullied by the ebullitions of the democracy, or the exposure of 
their grievances. As has been well said by Armitage, " to have 
judged of the country by the tone of its only journal, it must have 
been pronounced a terrestrial paradise, where no word of com- 
plaint had ever yet found utterance/' 

But at length the time arrived when the monotony of the Court 
Gazette was interrupted, and the people soon found voices for 
their grievances, and in the end substantial redress. 

The revolution which occurred in Portugal in 1821, in favor of a 
Constitution, was immediately responded to by a similar one in 
Brazil. 

After much excitement and alarm from the tumultuous move- 
ments of the people, the King, D. John YL, conferred upon his son 
Dom Pedro, Prince-Royal, the office of Regent and Lieutenant to 
His Majesty in the Kingdom of Brazil. He then hastened his de- 
parture for Portugal, accompanied by the remainder of his family 
and the principal nobility who had followed him. The disheartened 
monarch embarked on board a line-of-battle ship on the 24th of 
April, 1821, leaving the widest and fairest portion of his dominions 
to a destiny not indeed unlooked for by his majesty, but which 
was fulfilled much sooner than his melancholy forebodings antici- 
pated.* 

Rapid as had been the political changes in Brazil during the last 
ten years, greater changes still were about to take place. Dom 
Pedro, who now enjoyed the dignity and attributes of Prince- 
Regent and Lieutenant of His Majesty the King of Portugal, was 
at this period in the twenty-third year of his age. He possessed 
many of the essentials of popularity. His personal beauty was 
not less marked than his frank and affable manners, and his dispo- 
sition, though capricious, was enthusiastic. He had decision of 
character, and was one who seemed to know when to seize the 



* Just as the vessel was ready to sail, the old king pressed his son to his bosom, 
for the last time, and exclaimed, "Pedro, Brazil will, I fear, ere long separate 
herself from Portugal ; and if so, place the crown on thine own head rather than 
allow it to fall into the hands of any adventurer." 



70 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



proper moment for calming the populace, as when at Bio, while 
the King was in the Palace of San Christovao, only three miles 
away, he, upon his own authority, gave to the people and the 
troops a decree whereby an unreserved acceptance of the future 
Constitution of the Portuguese Cortes was guaranteed. He also 
knew well how to guard his prerogative. The Prince's consort 
was by lineage and talent worthy of his hand, for Leopoldina was 
an archduchess of Austria; in her veins coursed the blood of 
Maria Theresa, and it was her sister Maria Louisa who was the 
bride of Napoleon. She was not possessed of great personal 
beauty, yet her kindness of heart and her unpretentious bearing 
endeared her to every one who knew her. 

Bom Pedro had left Portugal when a mere lad, and it was 
believed that his highest aspirations were associated with the land 
of his adoption. In the office of Prince-Begent he certainly found 
scope for his most ardent ambition; but he also discovered himself 
to be surrounded with numerous difficulties, political and financial. 
So embarrassing indeed was his situation, that in the course of a 
few months he begged his father to allow him to resign his office 
and attributes. The Cortes of Portugal about this time becoming 
jealous of the position of the Prince in Brazil, passed a decree 
ordering him to return to Europe, and at the same time abolishing 
the royal tribunals at Bio. This decree was received with indig- 
nation by the Brazilians, who immediately rallied around Dom 
Pedro, and persuaded him to remain among them. His consent to 
do so gave rise to the most enthusiastic demonstrations of joy 
among both patriots and loyalists. The Portuguese military soon 
evinced symptoms of mutiny. 

A conflict seemed inevitable; but the Portuguese commander 
vacillated in view of the determined opposition manifested by the 
people, who flew to arms, and offered to capitulate on the condition 
of his soldiers retaining their arms. This was conceded, on their 
agreeing to retire to Praia Grande, a city on the opposite side of 
the bay, until transports could be provided for their embarkation 
to Lisbon; which was subsequently effected. The measures of the 
Cortes of Portugal, which continued to be arbitrary in the extreme 
toward Brazil, finally had the effect to hasten, in the latter country, 
a declaration of absolute independence. This measure had long 



Declaration of Independence. 



71 



been ardently desired by the more enlightened Brazilians, some of 
whom had already urged Doru Pedro to assume the title of Emperor 
Hitherto he had refused, and reiterated his allegiance to Portugal 
But he at length, while on a journey to the province of S. Paulo 
received despatches from the mother-country, which had the effect 
of cutting short all delay, and caused him to declare for independ- 
ence in a manner so decided and explicit that henceforward all 
retrograde measures would be utterly impracticable. 

On the 7th of September, 1822, when he read the despatches, he 
was surrounded by his courtiers, on those beautiful campinas in 
sight of San Paulo, a city which had ever been, as it is now, cele- 
brated in Brazil for the liberality and intelligence of its inhabitants. 
It was then, on the margin of an insignificant stream, — the 
Ypiranga, — that he made that exclamation, "Independencia ou morte," 
(Independence or death,) which became the watchword of the Bra- 
zilian Bevolution; and from the 7th of September, 1822, the inde- 
pendence of the country has since held its official date. It has 
been truly said that in the eyes of the civilized world it was a 
memorable circumstance, and must ever form an epoch in the 
history of the Western continent. 

It was indeed a great event, which has led to vast results. It 
was a grand revolution, begun by one whose very birth and position 
would have led the contemplative philosopher or statesman to 
pronounce it impossible that he should become the leader of a 
popular cause. It was the descendant of a long line of European 
monarchs who inaugurated that movement which severed the last 
— the most faithful — of the great divisions of South America from 
transatlantic rule. 

The Prince-Begent hastened to Bio de Janeiro by a rapid journey; 
and there, so soon as his determination was koown, the enthusiasm 
in his favor knew no bounds. 

The municipality of the capital issued a proclamation on the 21st 
of September, declaring their intention to fulfil the manifest wishes 
of the people, by proclaiming Dom Pedro the constit utional Emperor 
and perpetual defender of Brazil. This ceremony was performed 
on the 12th of October following, in the Campo de Santa Anna, in 
the presence of the municipal authorities, the functionaries of the 
court, the troops, and an immense concourse of people. His High- 



72 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



ness there publicly declared his acceptance of the title conferred on 
him, from the conviction that he was thus obeying the will of the 
people. The troops fired a salute, and the city was illuminated in 
the evening. Jose Bonifacio de Andrada, prime minister of the 
Government, had in the mean time promulgated a decree, requiring 
all the Portuguese who were disposed to embrace the popular cause 
to manifest their sentiments by wearing the Emperor's motto — 
"Independencia ou morte" — upon their arm, ordering also, that all 
dissentients should leave the country within a given period, and 
threatening the penalties imposed upon high-treason against any 
one who should thenceforward attack, by word or deed, the sacred 
cause of Brazil. 

The prime minister was the eldest of three brothers, all of them 
remarkable for their talents, learning, eloquence, and (though at 
times factious) for their sterling patriotism. They were unin- 
fluenced by either the adulation of the populace or the favor of the 
Emperor. Jose Bonifacio de Andrada combined, to an eminent 
degree, the various excellencies suited to the emergencies of the 
incipient stages of the Empire. 

The Brazilian Kevolution was comparatively a bloodless one. 
The glory of Portugal was already waning; her resources were 
exhausted, and her energies crippled by internal dissensions. 

That nation made nothing like a systematic and persevering 
effort to maintain her ascendency over her long-depressed but now 
rebellious colony. The insulting measures of the Cortes were con- 
summated only in their vaporing decrees. The Portuguese domi- 
nion was maintained for some time in Bahia and other ports, which 
had been occupied by military forces. But these forces were at 
length compelled to withdraw and leave Brazil to her own control. 
So little contested, indeed, and so rapid, was this revolution, that in 
less than three years from the time independence was declared on 
the plains of the Ypiranga, Brazil was acknowledged to be inde- 
pendent at the court of Lisbon. In the mean time the Emperor 
had been crowned as Bom Pedro L, and an assembly of delegates 
from the provinces had been convoked for the formation of a 
Constitution. 



ARMS OF THE BRAZILIAN EMPIRE. 



CHAPTEK Y. 

THE ANDRADAS — INSTRUCTIONS OF THE EMPEROR TO THE CONSTITUENT ASSEMBLY — 
DOM PEDRO I. DISSOLVES THE ASSEMBLY BY FORCE — CONSTITUTION FRAMED BY 
A SPECIAL COMMISSION — CONSIDERATIONS OF THIS DOCUMENT — THE RULE OF 

DOM PEDRO I. CAUSES OF DISSATISFACTION THE EMPEROR ABDICATES IN FAVOR 

OF DOM PEDRO II. 

The new state of affairs did not, however, proceed with either 
smoothness or velocity. Political bitterness, jealousy, and strife 
were at work. The Andrada ministry* were accused of being 
arbitrary and tyrannical. Brazil owed her independence, and Dom 
Pedro I. his crown, chiefly to their exertions; yet their administra- 
tions cannot by any means be exempted from censure. Their 
views were certainly comprehensive, and their intentions patriotic; 
but their impatient and ambitious spirit rendered them, when in 
power, intolerant to their political opponents. They were assailed 
with great energy, and finally compelled to resign; but such were 
the tumults of the people, and the violent partisan exertions in 
their favor, that they were reinstated, and Jose Bonifacio was 
drawn in his carriage by the populace through the streets of Eio 
de Janeiro. Eight months afterward a combination of all parties 



* Jose" Bonifacio was prime minister, and Martin Francisco de Andrada was at 
the head of the Finance Department. 

73 



74 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



again effected the ejection of the brothers Andrada from the 
ministry, but not from power. They became the most factious 
opponents of the Emperor and of the ministry which succeeded 
theirs. They were unmitigated in their attacks, both in the 
Assembly and through the press. 

The Constituent Assembly had done little besides wrangling. 
The members were mostly men of narrow views and of little 
ability; hence it was that the Andradas, by their eloquence and 
knowledge of parliamentary tactics, had such power over their 
minds. The Emperor, with great good sense, had, in opening the 
sessions, told the Assembly that the recent " Constitutions founded 
on the models of those of 1791 and 1792 had been acknowledged 
as too abstract and too metaphysical for execution. This has been 
proved by the example of France, and more recently by that of 
Spain and Portugal." His Imperial Majesty seems to have had a 
high standard of constitutional excellence, and one which we would 
have deemed it difficult, and perhaps impossible, for the Brazilian 
people to have reached. "We have need," he said in his address 
from the throne, " of a Constitution where the powers may be so 
divided and denned, that no one branch can arrogate to itself the 
prerogatives of another; a Constitution which may be an insur- 
mountable barrier against all invasion of the royal authority, 
whether aristocratic or popular; which will overthrow anarchy, 
and cherish the tree of liberty; beneath whose shade we shall see 
the union and the independence of this Empire flourish. In a word, 
a Constitution that will excite the admiration of other nations, and 
even of our enemies, who will consecrate the triumph of our prin- 
ciples in adopting them." (From the Falla do Throno, 3d May, 
1823.) 

Notwithstanding those instructions, the Constituent Assembly 
made no progress in forming a document from which such grand 
results were to flow as those depicted by the Emperor. The 
Andradas continued their opposition to various measures brought 
forward by the Government. His Majesty was irritated by their 
continual thrusts at the Portuguese incorporated in the Brazilian 
army. An outrage committed by two Portuguese officers upon the 
supposed author of an attack upon them was, in the excited state 
of public feeling, magnified into an outrage on the nation. The 



D. Pedro I. Dissolves the Assembly. 75 



sufferer demanded justice from the House of Deputies, and the 
Andradas most loudly demanded vengeance on the Portuguese 
aggressors. The journal under their control, called the " Tamoyo," 
(from a tribe of Indians who were the bitter foes of the early Por- 
tuguese settlers,) was equally violent. It even went so far as to 
insinuate that if the Government did not turn aside from its anti- 
national course, its power would be of short continuance, and, as a 
warning to the Emperor, the example of Charles I. of England was 
alluded to in no unmeaning terms. 

But Dom Pedro I. was no weak and vacillating Stuart. He pos- 
sessed more of the spirit of Oliver Cromwell or of the First Na- 
poleon. The Assembly, through the three brothers, was induced 
to declare itself in permanent session. The Emperor, finding that 
they (the Andradas) still maintained their predominance, mounted 
on horseback, and, at the head of his cavalry, marched to the 
Chamber, planted his cannon before its walls, and sent up General 
Moraes to the Assembly to order its instantaneous dissolution. 

The Assembly was broken up. The three Andradas were seized, as 
well as the Deputies Eocha and Montezuma, and were, without trial 
or examination, transported to France. Thus ended, for a brief 
period at least, the political career of the eloquent, patriotic, and 
factious Andradas. 

The Emperor issued a proclamation, stating that he had taken 
the measures recounted above, solely with the view of avoiding 
anarchy j and the public were reminded that " though the Emperor 
had, from regard to the tranquillity of the Empire, thought fit to 
dissolve the said Assembly, he had in the same decree convoked 
another, in conformity with the acknowledged constitutional rights 
of his people." 

A special commission of ten individuals was convened on the 
26th of November, 1823, for the purpose of forming such a Con- 
stitution as might meet with the Imperial approval. The members 
of this commission immediately commenced their labors under the 
personal superintendence of D. Pedro I., who furnished them the 
bases of the document which he wished to be framed, and gave 
them forty days for the accomplishment of the object. 

The ten councillors, as a body, were badly qualified for the im- 
portant task before them; yet several of their number were noted 



76 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



for the excellence of their private characters, and two only for 
their erudition. One of these two, Carneiro de Campos, was for- 
tunately intrusted with the drawing up of the Constitution, and 
to him it has been said Brazil is principally indebted for a number 
of the most liberal provisions of the code, — provisions which he 
insisted on introducing in opposition to the wishes of many of his 
colleagues. 

It is evident that the drafting-committee of ten could not foresee 
how liberal were the provisions of this Constitution, for most of 
them were staunch royalists; yet various providential circum- 
stances conduced to the production of a just and liberal instrument 
of government. [See Appendix B.] 

Its most important features may be stated in a few words. The 
government of the Empire is monarchical, hereditary, constitutional, 
and representative. The religion of the State is the Boman Ca- 
tholic, but all other denominations are tolerated. Judicial pro- 
ceedings are public, and there is the right of habeas corpus and 
trial by jury. The legislative power is in the General Assembly, 
which answers to the Imperial Parliament of England or to the 
Congress of the United States. The senators are elected for life, 
and the representatives for four years. The presidents of the 
provinces are appointed by the Emperor. There is a legislative 
Assembly to each province for local laws, taxation, and government : 
thus, Brazil is a decentralized Empire. The senators and representa- 
tives of the General Assembly are chosen through the intervention 
of electors, as is the President of the United States, and the pro- 
vincial legislators are elected by universal suffrage. The press is 
free, and there is no proscription on account of color. 

The Constitution thus framed was accepted by the Emperor, and 
on the 25th of March, 1824, was sworn to by his Imperial High- 
ness, and by the authorities and people throughout the Empire. It 
is an instrument truly remarkable, considering the source whence 
it emanated, and we cannot continue the subsequent history of 
the country without devoting to its merits a few passing reflections. 

This Constitution commenced by being the most liberal of all 
other similar documents placed before a South American people. In 
its wise and tolerant notions, and in its adaptation to the nation for 
which it was prepared, it is second only to that which governs the 



The Brazilian Constitution. 



77 



Anglo-Saxon Confederacy of North America. States and indi- 
viduals may utter, in their charters of government, fine sentences 
in regard to equality and right ; but if they fail in practicability 
and in securing those very elements of justice, stability, and pro- 
gress, the eloquent phrases are but "as sounding brass or a tinkling 
cymbal." The Brazilian Constitution has, to a great extent, secured 
equality, justice, and consequently national prosperity. She is 
to-day governed by the same Constitution with which more than 
thirty years ago she commenced her full career as a nation. While 
every Spanish-American Government has been the scene of bloody 
revolutions, — while the civilized world has looked with horror, 
wonder, and pity upon the self-constituted bill of the people's 
rights again and again trampled under foot by turbulent faction 
and priestly bigotry, or by the tyranny of the most narrow-minded 
dictators, — the only Portuguese-American Government (though it 
has had its provincial revolts of a short duration) has beheld but 
two revolutions, and those were peaceful, — one fully in accordance 
with the Constitution;* the other, the proclamation of the ma- 
jority of Dom Pedro II., was by suspending a single article of the 
Government compact. 

Mexico, which, in extent of territory, population, and resources, 
is more properly comparable to Brazil than any other Hispano- 
American country, established her first Constitution only one 
month (February, 1824) earlier than the adoption of the Brazilian 
charter of government and rights. But poor Mexico has been the 
prey of every unscrupulous demagogue who could for the moment 
command the army. Her Constitution has repeatedly been over- 
thrown ; the victorious soldiery of a hardier nation placed her at 
the mercy of a foreign cabinet; her dominion has been despoiled; 
her commerce crippled and diminished by her own inertness and 
narrow policy; personal security and national prosperity are 
unknown, and her people are this day no further advanced than 
when the Constitution was first set aside in 1835. 

Brazil, on the other hand, has been continually progressing. 
The head of the Empire is in the same family, and governs under 



* The abdication of Dom Pedro I. in favor of his son, Dom Pedro II., the present 
Emperor. 



78 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



the same Constitution that was established in 1824. Her commerce 
doubles every ten years ; she possesses cities lighted by gas, long 
lines of steamships, and the beginnings of railways that are spread- 
ing from the sea-coast into the fertile interior; in her borders 
education and general intelligence are constantly advancing. 

This great contrast cannot be accounted for altogether on the 
ground of the difference between the two people and between 
their respective forms of government. It is doubtless true that 
a Monarchy is better suited to the Latin nations than a Eepublic ; 
and it is equally apparent that there is a very great dissimilarity 
between the Spaniard and his descendants, and the Portuguese and 
his descendants. The Spaniard affects to despise the Portuguese, 
and the latter has of late years been underrated in the eyes of the 
world.* The child of Castile, take him where you will, is ambi- 
tious, chivalric, bigoted, vain, extravagant, and lazy. The son 
of Lusitania is not wanting in vanity, but is more tolerant and 
less turbulent than his neighbor, and is a being both economical 
and industrious. 

The reasons, under Providence, of the great divergence in the 
results of the Brazilian and Mexican Constitution may be summed 
up briefly thus : — Brazil, while providing a hereditary monarchical 
head, recognised most fully the democratic element ; while acknow- 
ledging the Boman Catholic religion to be that established by the 
State, she guaranteed, with the single limitations of steeples and 
bells, the unrestricted right of worship to all other denominations ; 
she established public judicial proceedings, the habeas corpus, and 
the right of trial by jury. 

Mexico, in the formation of her Constitution, copied that of the 
United States, but departed from that document, in the two most 
important particulars, as widely as the oft-quoted strolling actors 
deviated from the original tragedy when they advertised " Hamlet" 
to be played minus the role of the Prince of Denmark. The Mexican 
Constitution established an exclusive religion with all the rigorous 
bigotry of Old Spain ; and public judicial proceedings and the inter- 
vention by juries were omitted altogether. The starting-point of 



* "Strip a Spaniard of all his virtues, and you make a good Portuguese of 
him." — Spanish Proverb. 



The Eule of Dom Pedro I. 



79 



Brazil and Mexico were entirely different : the former, happy in a 
suitable form of government and in liberal principles from the 
beginning, has outstripped the latter in all that constitutes true 
national greatness. 

Brazil did not, however, attain her present proud position in 
South America without days of trial and hard experience. Corrupt 
and unprincipled men were in greater numbers than those who 
possessed stern and patriotic virtue. The people were ignorant 
and unaccustomed to self-government, and were often used by 
unscrupulous leaders to the advancement of their own purposes. 

The administration of Dom Pedro I. continued about ten years, 
and, during its lapse, the country unquestionably made greater 
advances in intelligence than it had done in three centuries which 
intervened between its first discovery and the proclamation of the 
Portuguese Constitution in 1820. Nevertheless, this administra- 
tion was not without its faults or its difficulties. Dom Pedro, 
although not tyrannical, was imprudent. He was energetic, but 
inconstant ; an admirer of the representative form of government, 
but hesitating in its practical enforcement. 

Elevated into a hero during the struggle for independence, he 
appears to have been guided rather by the example of other poten- 
tates than by any mature consideration of the existing state and 
exigencies of Brazil; and hence, perhaps, the eagerness with which 
he embarked in the war against Montevideo, which certainly had 
its origin in aggression, and which, after crippling the commerce, 
checking the prosperity, and exhausting the finances of the Empire, 
ended only in the full and unrestrained cession of the province in 
dispute. 

It may be remarked, that the defeat of the Brazilians in the 
Banda Oriental, though a seeming disgrace, was one of the greatest 
blessings that could have been bestowed upon the Empire. It 
appears that that war and its disastrous results were the means 
of preserving Brazil from making such modifications in her Consti- 
tution as might, if effected, have terminated in the overthrow 
of some of her most valuable institutions. The non-success of her 
arms almost annihilated the thirst for military distinction which 
was springing up ; and the energies of the rising generation were 
consequently turned more toward civil pursuits, from which resulted 



80 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



social ameliorations that tended to consolidate the well-being of 
the State. 

In addition to the imprudence and inconstancy of the Emperor, 
it was said — and not without truth — that his habits were extrava- 
gant and his morals extremely defective.* And yet, the main 
cause of his personal unpopularity seems to have consisted in his 
never having known how to become the man of his people, — in his 
never having constituted himself entirely and truly a Brazilian. 

He was often heard to express the sentiment that the only true 
strength of a government lay in public opinion ; yet, unfortunately, 
he did not know how to conciliate the public opinion of the people 
over whom it was his destiny to reign. At the period of the Bevo- 
lution, he had, under the excitements of enthusiasm, uttered senti- 
ments calculated to natter the nascent spirit of nationality, and his 
sincerity had been credited ; yet his subsequent employment of a 
foreign force, his continued interference in the affairs of Portugal, 
his institution of a secret cabinet, and his appointment of naturalized 
Portuguese to the highest offices of the State, to the apparent ex- 
clusion of natives of the soil, had, among a jealous people, given 
rise to the universal impression that the monarch himself was still 
a Portuguese at heart. 

The native Brazilians believed that they were beheld with sus- 
picion, and hence became restive under a Government which they 
regarded as nurturing foreign interests and a foreign party. Oppor- 
tunities for manifesting their dissatisfaction frequently occurred, 
and these manifestations were met by more offensive measures. 
At length, after fruitless efforts to suppress the rising spirit of re- 
bellion in different parts of the Empire, Dom Pedro found himself 
in circumstances as painful and as humiliating as those which 
forced his father, Dom John VI., to retire to Portugal. Opposi- 
tion which had long been covert became undisguised and relentless. 
The most indifferent acts of the Emperor were distorted to his pre- 
judice, and all the irregularities of his private life were brought 



* The older citizens of Rio de Janeiro have not yet forgotten the place that the 
Marchioness of Santos held in the first Emperor's affections ; and his slighting 
treatment of his own spouse — a daughter of the high house of Hapsburg — was 
notorious. It has been said that, though a bad husband, he was a good father. 



Popular Agitation. 



81 



before the public. Individuals to whom he had been a benefactor 
deserted him, and, perceiving that his star was on the wane, had 
the baseness to contribute to his overthrow. The very army which 
he had raised at an immense sacrifice, which he had maintained 
to the great prejudice of his popularity, and on which he had 
unfortunately placed more reliance than upon the people, betrayed 
him at last. 

After various popular agitations, which had the continual effect 
of widening the breach between the Imperial party and the patriots, 
the populace of Eio de Janeiro assembled in the Campo de Santa 
Anna on the 6th of April, 1831, and began to call out for the dis- 
missal of the new ministry, and for the reinstatement of some indi- 
viduals who had that very morning been dismissed. Dom Pedro L, 
on being informed of the assemblage and its objects, issued a pro- 
clamation, signed by himself and the existing ministry, assuring 
them that the administration was perfectly constitutional, and that 
its members would be governed by constitutional principles. A 
justice of the peace was despatched to read this to the people j yet 
scarcely had he concluded, when the document was torn from his 
hands and trampled under foot. The cry for the reinstatement 
of the cabinet became louder ; the multitude momentarily increased 
in numbers; and, about six o'clock in the afternoon, three justices 
of the peace (in Spanish America it would have been a battalion of 
soldiers) were despatched to the Imperial residence to demand that 
the " ministry who had the confidence of the people" — as the late 
cabinet were designated — should be reappointed. 

The Emperor listened to their requisition, but refused to accede 
to the request. He exclaimed, "I will do every thing for the 
people, but nothing by the people !" 

No sooner was this answer made known in the Campo, than the 
most seditious cries were raised, and the troops began to assemble 
there for the purpose of making common cause with the multi- 
tude. Further representations were made to the Emperor, but 
were unavailing. He declared he would suffer death rather than 
consent to the dictation of the mob. 

The battalion styled the Emperor's, and quartered at Boa Vista, 

went to join their comrades in the Campo, where they arrived 

about eleven o'clock in the evening; and even the Imperial guard 

6 



82 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



of honor, which had been summoned to the palace, followed. The 
populace, already congregated, began to supply themselves with 
arms from the adjoining barracks. The Portuguese party^ in the 
mean time, judging themselves proscribed and abandoned, durst 
not even venture into the streets. The Emperor, in these trying 
moments, is said to have evinced a dignity and a magnanimity 
unknown in the days of his prosperity. On the one hand, the 
Empress was weeping bitterly, and apprehending the most fatal 
consequences; on the other, an adjutant from the combined 
assemblage of the troops and populace was urging him to a final 
answer. 

Dom Pedro I. had sent for the Intendant of Police, and desired 
him to seek for Yergueiro, a noble patriot, who had always been a 
favorite of the people, and who combined moderation with sterling 
integrity. Yergueiro could not be found. The envoy from the 
troops and populace urged his Majesty to give him an immediate 
decision, or excesses would be committed under the idea that he 
(the envoy) had been either assassinated or made prisoner. The 
Emperor replied, with calmness and firmness, "I certainly shall 
not appoint the ministry which they require : my honor and the 
Constitution alike forbid it, and I would abdicate, or even suffer 
death, rather than consent to such a nomination." The adjutant 
started to give this reply to his general, but he was requested by 
Dom Pedro (who seemed to be struggling with some grand resolve) 
to stay for a final answer. 

Nothing could be heard from Yergueiro. The populace were 
growing more impatient, and the Emperor was still firmer in his 
convictions of that which his position and the Constitution required 
of him in a moment so critical. But at length, like the noble stag 
of Landseer, singled out by the hounds, he stood alone. Deserted, 
harassed, irritated, and fatigued beyond description, with sadness, 
yet with grace, he yielded to the circumstances, and took the only 
measure consistent with his convictions and the dignity of his im- 
perial office. It was two o'clock in the morning when he sat down, 
without asking the advice of any one, or even informing the mi- 
nistry of his resolution, and wrote out his abdication in the follow- 
ing terms : — 

" Availing myself of the right which the Constitution concedes 



Abdication of Dom Pedro I. 



83 



to me, I declare that I have voluntarily abdicated in favor of my 
dearly-beloved and esteemed son, Dom Pedro de Alcantara. 
" Boa Vista, 7th April, 1831, tenth year 1 



He then rose, and, addressing himself to the messenger from the 
Campo, said, "Here is my abdication: may you be happy! I 
shall retire to Europe, and leave the country that I have loved 
dearly and that I still love." Tears now choked his utterance, and 
he hastily retired to an adjoining room, where were the Empress 
and the English and French ambassadors. He afterward dis- 
missed all his ministers save one, and, in a decree which he dated 
the 6th of April, proceeded to nominate Jose Bonifacio de Andrada 
(who, with his brothers, had been permitted to return from exile 
in 1829) as the guardian to his children. 

It was a striking illustration of the ingratitude with which he 
was treated in the hour of misfortune, that from all those upon 
whom he had conferred titles and riches he was obliged to turn 
away to the infirm old man whom, at a former period, he had re- 
jected and cruelly wronged. Finally, after arranging his house- 
hold affairs, he embarked in one of the boats of the English line- 
of-battle ship the Warspite, accompanied by the Empress,* and his 
eldest daughter, the late Queen of Portugal. 

It was fortunate for Brazil that she had enjoyed that which no 
Spanish- American country had ever experienced, — i.e. a transition- 
state. She was not hurried from the colonial condition — an era 
of childhood — into self-government, which can only be the normal 
state of nations in their manhood. She had, as we have seen, the 
monarch of Portugal, with all his prestige, to be her first leader in 
national existence ; afterward the son of the king, who, by peculiar 
circumstances, was for a time the idol of the people, aided Brazil 
in coming to a maturity far better fitted for representative-govern- 
ment institutions than any of the neighboring states which had 
achieved their independence at an earlier date. Had the transition 
been more violent, the permanence of such institutions would have 
been endangered. Dom Pedro was certainly, in the hands of God, 




* The second Empress was a Bavarian princess whom D. Pedro had married in 
1829. 



84 



Brazil and the "Brazilians. 



a prominent agent in giving to Brazil that form of government 
which this day so wisely rules the Empire. 

With all his faults, D. Pedro I. was a great man, and possessed some 
noble aspirations, coupled with a promptness of action which will 
be remembered long after his errors have been forgotten. None 
but a great man could have returned to Europe and have fought 
the battle of constitutional monarchy against absolutism, as he did 
in the contest with his brother, Dom Miguel. His brief though 
chivalric and heroic devotion to the cause of civil and religious 
freedom in Portugal demands our highest admiration ; and the suc- 
cessful placing of the young Queen Donna Maria upon the throne 
of that country gave quiet to the kingdom, and was one more 
triumph in Europe of the liberal over the absolute. 

As time rolls on, the true merits of D. Pedro I. are more recog- 
nised by the Brazilians. Statues and public monuments are erected 
to his memory; and, though it may not be wholly applicable, yet 
there is no fulsome adulation, too common in that Southern clime, 
when they entitle him " Washington do Brazil." 

He loved the country of his adoption ; and a few days after the 
memorable night of his abdication, as he gazed for the last time 
upon the city of Eio de Janeiro, the magnificent bay, and the lofty 
Organ Mountains, he poured from a full heart the following touch- 
ing farewell to his son, Dom Pedro II., in which not only is parental 
tenderness manifest, but a deep solicitude for the land whose des- 
tiny at one time seemed so closely linked with his own : — 

"My beloved son and my Emperor, very agreeable are the lines 
which you wrote me. 1 was scarcely able to read them, because 
copious tears impeded my sight. Now that I am more composed, 
I write this to thank you for your letter, and to declare that, as 
long as life shall last, affection for you will never be extinguished 
in my lacerated heart. 

"To leave children, country, and friends is the greatest possible 
sacrifice j but to bear away honor unsullied, — there can be no greater 
glory. Ever remember your father; love your country and my 
country; follow the counsel of those who have the care of your 
education; and rest assured that the world will admire you, and 
that I will be filled with gladness at having a son so worthy of the 
land of his birth. I retire to Europe : it is necessary for the tran- 



Departure of Dom Pedro I. 



85 



quillity of Brazil, and that God may cause her to reach that degree 
of prosperity for which she is eminently capable. 

" Adieu, my very dear son ! Eeceive the blessing of your affec- 
tionate father, who departs without the hope of ever seeing you 
again. D. Pedro de Alcantara. 

"On board the Warspite frigate, \ 
April 12, 1831." J 

On the following day D. Pedro I. went on board the English 
corvette Yolage. Before nightfall the Pao de Assucar was cleared, 
and the ex-Emperor left Brazil forever. 

Having thus briefly narrated the history of the Empire to the 
abdication of the first Emperor, we will again turn our attention to 
Eio de Janeiro, where most of the preceding events occurred. The 
establishment of the regency, and the various changes and progress 
under the new monarch, D. Pedro II., will be found in Chapter XII. 



CHAPTEK VI. 



THE PRAIA DO FLAMENGO — THE THREE-MAN BEETLE — SPLENDID VIEWS — THE MAN 
WHO CUT DOWN A PALM-TREE — MOONLIGHT — RIO " TIGERS" — THE BATHERS — 
GLORIA HILL — EVENING SCENE — THE CHURCH — MARRIAGE OF CHRISTIANITY AND 
HEATHENISM — A SERMON IN HONOR OF OUR LADY — FESTA DA GLORIA — THE 
LARANGEIRAS — ASCENT OF THE CORCOVADO — THE SUGAR-LOAF. 

My residence at Eio de Janeiro was on the Praia do Fla- 
mengo, — a beach so named from its having been in early days 
frequented by this beautiful bird. Let the reader imagine the 
beaches of Newport, Ehode Island, or of the battle-renowned 
Hastings, transferred to the borders of London or New York, so 
that, by taking omnibus at Charing Cross or Union Square, in 
fifteen minutes he will be on the hard white sands and in the pre- 
sence of the huge ocean-waves, and he will have an idea of Praia 
do Flamengo. Entering one of the " Gondola Fluminens" at the 
Palace Square, we rattle through various streets until we arrive at 
the foot of the Gloria, where, if we wish an up-hill ramble, we 
descend from our vehicle and pass over the picturesque eminence, 
and are soon cooled by the full blowing sea-breeze; or, if we prefer 
a more level promenade, we leave our conveyance at the Bua do 
Principe. The noisy wheels, and the equally noisy tongues, have 
hitherto prevented any other sounds from occupying our attention ; 
but now the majestic thunder of the dashing waves breaks upon 
our ear. The eye is startled by the foam-crested monsters as they 
rear up in their strength and seem ready to devour the whole 
mansion-lined shore in their furious rage. The very ground 
quakes beneath us, and the air is tremulous with the powerful con- 
cussion. But no danger is to be apprehended. The coast, a few 
feet from the sands, is rock-bound, and along the whole beach public 
and private enterprise have erected strong walls of heavy stone. 
Sometimes, however, old Neptune has asserted his rights with 
86 



The Three-Man Beetle. 



87 



such tremendous energy, that masses of rock, weighing tons, have 
been wrested from their fastenings. In May, 1853, a storm pre- 
vailed for several days, and a strong wind blew in the waves of the 
ocean with great directness against the protecting walls, and the 
strife was one of the fiercest that I have ever witnessed in contend- 
ing nature. As they struck the parapet they dashed eighty feet 
in height, thus showering and flooding the gayly -painted residences, 
and at the same time, in their retreat, undermining the land-side 
of the wall, so that for hundreds of feet between the Eua da 
Princeza and the Eua do 
Principe the municipality 
had a heavy job for some 
favorite contractor. (The 
paving of the streets was 
a never-failing source of 
amusement to me during 
my first year at Eio. Look 
at the pavers in the Eua 
S. Jose. The paving-ram 
is the " three-man beetle" 
of Shakspeare. A trio of 
slaves are called to their 
work by a rapid solo exe- 
cuted with a hammer up- 
on an iron bar. The three 
seize the ram: one — the 
maestro, distinguished by 
hat — wails forth a ditty, 
which the others join in chor 
at the same time lifting the 
from the ground and bringing it down 
a heavy blow. A rest of a few moments 
occurs, and then the ditty, chorus, and 

thump are resumed : but, as may be imagined, the streets of Eio 
are by no means rapidly paved.) The damage done to the Praia 
do Flamingo required more than one year for reparation. A battle 
between the sea and the land like that of 1853 does not often 
occur : the rule is peacefulness and amiability, for the huge waves 




THE THREE-MAN BEETLE. 



88 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



themselves, that seem to foam so angrily, are only joyous in their 
giant sport, and, once touching the myriad sands, kiss them in 
their gentlest mood, and hasten silently back to their boisterous 
companions. 

The front of my house looked over the bay to Jurujuba and 
Praia Grande, and also commanded a view of the long Flamengo 
Beach, the Babylonia Signal, the lofty Sugar-Loaf, and the entrance 
to the harbor. Far up the bay were verdant isles, and beyond all 
towered the lofty Organ Mountains, sometimes gleaming in sun- 
shine, and sometimes half veiled in mist, but always the grandest 
feature in the landscape. From my back-windows, on my right, I 
could see the precipitous southern side of the Gloria, and on my 
left, beyond the red-tiled roofs, upreared the tall Corcovado, whose 
Bio face is covered with forests. Beneath me was the garden of 
my neighbor, a plodding Portuguese from Braga. This individual 
was originally one of those industrious ignorant poor from the 
mother-country, who in Brazil and elsewhere, by dint of regularity 
and economy, acquire property, but rarely taste. He had a beauti- 
ful stately palm-tree in the centre of his garden. Night after 
night have I listened to the music of the cool land-breeze as it 
played through the long, feathery leaves. The sight of it was re- 
freshing when the rays of the noonday sun made the more distant 
landscape quiver. It was a "thing of beauty," and "a joy," but 
not "forever." Early one morning I heard the click of an axe; 
and, rushing to my window, I beheld Sr. M. directing a black, 
who, with sturdy blows, buried the sharp instrument deep into the 
trunk of the noble tree, and each succeeding stroke made the 
graceful summit and the clustering fruit piteously tremble. 

" The ruthless axe that hew'd its silvered trunk 
Cut loose the ties that, tendril-like, had bound 
My love unto the tree ; and when it sunk, 
My heart sank with it to the ground." 

"Woodman, spare that tree," 

sung by the voice of an angel, would not have stayed the work of 
destruction ; and thus the prince of the tropic forest fell by igno- 
minious hands. Sr. M., the regicide, went that morning to his 
toucinho (bacon) and came secca establishment in the Bua do Bosario, 



The " Tigers" of Rio de Janeiro. 



89 



congratulating himself, as he stuffed his nostrils with areia preta, * 
that he had gained a few more feet of sunshine for his cabbage-bed, 
by cutting down a palm-tree that a century would not reproduce. 

At evening, the view from the balcony in front of my residence 
was most charming. On a bright night the heavens were illumined 
by the Southern Cross, by Orion, and other stellar brilliants; and 
sometimes, when clouds obscured the lesser celestial lights, the 
bosom of the bay seemed like a sea of fire. But the most glorious 
nocturnal sight was to watch the full moon rise above the palm- 
crowned mountains beyond the Bay of San Francisco Xavier. Mild 
rays of light would herald the approaching queen, and soon her 
full round form, emerging, threw upon the distant waters of Juru- 
juba her silver sheen, while the dashing waves that burst along 
the whole length of the Praia do Flamengo seemed gorgeous 
wreaths of retreating moonlight. We are in the height of enjoy- 
ment. Perhaps we murmur 

"On such a night as this," &c, 

and speak something about chaste Dian " moving in meditation, 
fancy free," when we are suddenly brought to the sad realization 
that we are in a sublunary sphere. We rush from the balcony 
spasmodically, and instantaneously snatch cologne-bottles, bouquet, 
ammonia, or any thing that will relieve our olfactories. The 
tigers^ also have opportunities for watching the moon rise. Eight 
o'clock has arrived, and these odoriferous — not to say savage — beasts 
come stealthily down the Eua do Principe, and for the next two 
hours make night hideous, not with yells, but with smells which 
have certainly been expatriated from Arabia Infelix. 

A curious story is generally told the newly-arrived stranger at 
Bio, of a Fluminensian who on a visit to Paris became exceedingly 
ill. Every restorative was applied in vain, until a French physician 
well acquainted with the capital of Brazil was called in, and decided 
at once that it was impossible to hope for the recovery of the 



* Literally, black sand, — a favorite snuff. 

f The sewerage of Rio was formerly very defective, and slaves, nicknamed 
" tigers," conveyed each night to the water's edge the accumulated offal of the city, 
and the next tide swept it out to sea. 



90 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



patient unless he could breathe again his native air; but, as he 
could not return to Bio, the physician instantly prescribed that 
there should be concocted in the sick-chamber a compound of the 
most "villanous smells." To make a long story short, the invalid 
recovered ! 

But at the date of writing this nuisance is much more tolerable 
than formerly, for hermetically-sealed casks have been introduced, 
and carts at convenient hours collect them, and their contents are 
conveyed to some very distant point from the city. Soon Bio will 
have a good system of sewerage, the plans for which were laid 
before the Minister of the Empire in 1854. When this is accom- 
plished, no tropic city will surpass it as an abode both healthful 
and agreeable. 

The Braia do Flamengo, saving this drawback when the wind 
is in a wrong direction, is one of the most delightful suburbs for 
the residence of a foreigner. One hour after the tigers have 
finished their labors, the atmosphere is as free from any thing dis- 
agreeable as if naught but the fragrance of orange-flowers had 
been wafted from the Gloria and the neighboring gardens \ and the 
morning light shines upon a pure white beach. 

For five months in the year the Braia do Flamengo is the 
favorite resort of bathers of both sexes. During the bathing- 
season, (from November to March,) a lively scene is witnessed 
every morning. Before the sun is above the mountains a stream 
of men, women, and children pour down to enjoy a bath in the 
clear salt water. The ladies who come from a distance are at- 
tended by slaves, who bring tents and spread them on the beach 
for the senhoras, who soon put on their bathing-robes and loose 
their long black tresses. Men and women, hand in hand, enter the 
cool, sparkling element, and thus those not skilled in natation 
resist the force of the huge waves which come toppling in. The 
senhoras are neatly dressed, in robes made of some dark stuff ; but 
there is not as much coquetry as in a French watering-place, where 
the ladies study the becoming for the sea as well as for the ball- 
room. The gentlemen are required by the police-regulations to 
be decently clad, which still does not impede those who prefer a 
swimming-bath to the douche of the billows. 

It is a merry sight to behold Brazilian girls and boys evincing for 



The Bathers of Praia do Flamengo. 



91 



once some activity, — running on the sand, and screaming with 
pleasure whenever a heavier wave than before has rolled over a 
party and sends them reeling to the beach. The prostrate bathers 
drive their feet convulsively into the sand to prevent being carried 
back by the receding breakers. Now and then some mischief- 
makers shout "Shark! shark!" and away dash the senhoras to 
the shore, to be laughed at by the urchins who raised the cry. 
There are some traditionary tales about these rough-skinned 
cannibals, but I never heard a well-authenticated instance of a 
repast furnished by the bathers of Praia do Flamengo to the 
dreaded " wolf of the seas." 

By seven o'clock the sun is high, and all the busy white throng 
have departed. Here and there, however, may be seen a curly 
head popping up and down among the waves, its woolly covering 
defying the fear of coup de soleil. The negresses that accompany 
the ladies generally enter the water at the same time as their 
mistresses. On moonlight nights the sea is alive with black 
specks, which are the capita of the slaves in the vicinity, who 
splash and scream and laugh to their hearts' content. They all 
swim remarkably well, and it is pleasant to hear their cheerful 
voices sounding as merrily as if they knew not a sorrow. 

The people of Bio are fond of bathing, and on this account are 
called cariocas, which some translate "ducks." Many walk miles 
to enjoy it. There is a floating bath in the harbor, not far from 
Hotel Pharoux, for those whose courage is great enough to brave 
the element which is there called sea-water, but which a truthful 
narrator, previous to the improved sewerage, would stigmatize by 
another name. 

Nor are the bipeds the only animals that derive benefit from the 
ablutions on Praia do Flamengo. The horses and mules have 
allotted to them a certain portion of the beach, where at an early 
hour they are bathed and brushed. It is a comfort to know that 
the poor creature^ have this chance of cleanliness; otherwise they 
would suffer greatly from the laziness of their keepers. Gentlemen 
who care for their horses endeavor to procure English grooms, for 
a black is proverbially a bad care-taker for any animal. The 
beautiful horses imported at great expense from the Cape of Good 
Hope are soon destroyed under the hands of the negroes. It is 



92 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



considered that the climate of Brazil is unfavorable to them, and 
one can hardly believe that these pampered, delicate animals 
are of the same race, half English, half Arabian, which at the Cape 
of Good Hope will endure a journey of sixty or seventy miles a 
day without other refreshment than a feed of oats and a roll on 
the sand.* For all useful purposes the horses of the country are 
better, but they are not so swift or graceful as the imported animals. 

It was but a few paces from my front-door to the southern 
entrance of the Gloria. Here, when the surf was not too high, 
boats could land, and often were our evenings enlivened by the 
presence of some of the intelligent officers from the men-of-war 
whose station was beyond the Fortress Yillegagnon. 

Once within the gateway at the foot of the hill, we behold a 
narrow, level strip of ground, occupied by one or two secluded 
residences and a beautiful private flower-garden. The base of the 
black rock which rises perpendicularly on the side facing the sea is 
hidden by large waving banana-trees and overhanging creepers. 
The diversified summit of the hill is checkered with every evidence 
of city and country agreeably blended. Narrow paths wind 
around the hill at different altitudes, leading to the many beautiful 
residences and gardens by which it is covered to the summit. On 
either side of the paths are seen dense hedges of flowering mi- 
mosas, lofty palms, and the singular cashew-tree, with its bottle- 
shaped, refreshing fruit, and occasionally other large trees, hung 
with splendid parasites, while throughout the scene there prevails 
a quiet and a coolness which could scarcely be anticipated within 
the precincts of a city situated beneath a tropical sun. 

The prettiest residence on the hill was that of the British Consul, 
Mr. John J. C. Westbrook, — a gentleman whom I always found 
most ready to co-operate in any work of charity or benevolence 
brought to his notice, irrespective of nationality. 

Among the dwellers on the Gloria were two families, (English and 
Swiss,) who in their tastes and accomplishments were far beyond 
the mere shopkeeping class so often found in a foreign land. In 

* When Napoleon was at St. Helena he was supplied with these horses, and 
their fire exactly suited his style of riding. The old English generals whose duty 
it was to accompany their "perverse prisoner" had often reason to complain of 
the pace of the Cape horses. 



Evening-Scene on the Gloria. 



93 



their pleasant society one was often compensated for the home- 
circle left far over the billow. The Englishman was an amateur- 
naturalist of the very first ability, while both families possessed 
the best periodical and standard literature of England and of 
France. After the fatigues of the day it was a delightful recrea- 
tion to spend the even- 
ing amid such compa- 



clear and well defined, 

while a magic twilight seems to remove from the eye those which 
are in the shade. Scarce a breath of air is stirring, and the neigh- 
boring mimosas, that have folded up their leaves to sleep, stand 
motionless beside the dark crowns of the mangueiras, the jaca- 
tree, and the ethereal jambos. Sometimes a sudden wind arises, 
and the juiceless leaves of the cashew rustle; the richly-flowered 
grumijama and pitanga let drop a fragrant shower of snow-white 
blossoms; the crowns of the majestic palms wave slowly above the 
silent roof which they overhang like a symbol of peace and tran- 



" A delicate transpa- 
rent mist hangs over 
the country; the moon 
shines brightly amid 
•heavy and singularly- 
grouped clouds. The 
outlines of the objects 
illuminated by it are 



nions and surrounded 
by such glorious sce- 
nery. On many moon- 
light evenings I could 
enter into the feelings 
entertained by Dr. Kid- 
der years before, and, 
as he expressed it, 
could realize "the en- 
chantment of an even- 
ing-scene so felicitous- 
ly described by Yon 
Martius." 




FRUIT AND NUT OF THE CASHEW-TREE. 



94 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



quillity. Shrill cries of the cicada, the grasshopper, and tree-frog 
make an incessant hum, and produce by their monotony a pleasing 
melancholy. At intervals different balsamic odors fill the air, and 
flowers, alternately unfolding their leaves to the night, delight the 
senses with their perfume, — now the bowers of paullinias, or the 
neighboring orange-grove, — then the thick tufts of the eupatoria, 
or the bunches of the flowering palms, suddenly bursting, disclose 
their blossoms, and thus maintain a constant succession of fra- 
grance; while the silent vegetable world, illuminated by swarms 
of fire-flies as by a thousand moving stars, charms the night by its 
delicious odors. Brilliant lightnings play incessantly in the horizon 
and elevate the mind in joyful admiration to the stars, which, glow- 
ing in solemn silence in the firmament, fill the soul with a presen- 
timent of still sublimer wonders." 

Often, while enjoying the scene which the great German natural- 
ist has so eloquently depicted, I was called away from my medita- 
tions by the clangor of the bells in the tower of the Gloria Church. 
Though the worship of Him who made the beautiful nature around 
me should be ever more elevating than the mere contemplation of 
the grand and wonderful in the material world, yet the sound of 
those bells filled me with painful reflections. Whenever I entered 
that pretty church of Nossa Senhora da Gloria, whenever I gazed 
upon the kneeling throng and on the evidences of a corrupted 
Christianity, I could not believe that God was worshipped "in 
spirit and in truth." 

In the interior, the octagonal walls are lined for several feet 
with large Butch tiles, representing landscapes and scenes con- 
nected with classic heathenism. Actseon and his dogs start the 
timid deer, or pursue the flying hare; Cupid, too, with arrows in 
hand, joins the sport. Over the chief altar Nossa Senhora da 
Gloria, robed like a fashionable lady in silks and laces, looks down 
upon the scene beneath. She has received many jewels from her 
devotees, and no gem is esteemed too costly to win her favor. 
She wears brilliant finger-rings, and diamond buttons fasten the 
sleeves of her gown. Her bosom and ears are graced with diamond 
necklaces and rich pendants. An immense diamond brooch 
sparkles on her breast : this was vowed to the Virgin by Bonna 
Januaria, the consort of Prince de Joinville, in prospective compen- 



The Marriage of Heathenism and Christianity. 95 



sation for the restoration of Her Highness's health. The flowing 
curls that cluster around Our Lady's brow are also offerings, clipped 
by some anxious mother from the glossy locks of a favorite child.* 

Let us enter the vestry in the rear of the church. Here we 
behold a few specimens of what may be seen in every church in 
Brazil, and which was formerly to be witnessed in almost every 
heathen temple in old Italia before the days of Constantine the 
Great. In the many particulars in which we can trace with 
certainty the marriage between Christianity and heathenism, none 
is more curious than the system of ex votos. The ancients who 
were affected with ophthalmia, rheumatism, boils, defective limbs, 
&c. &c, prayed to their gods and goddesses for recovery, and at the 
same time offered on the shrine of the favorite divinity, or sus- 
pended near the altar, votive tablets, upon which were inscribed a 
description of the disease and the name of the invalid. Grateful 
acknowldgements and miraculous cures were also thus made 
public for the edification of the faithful worshippers and for the 
confusion of the incredulous. Thus, also, in Brazil every church 
is filled with votive tablets, telling of wonderful cures by Nossa 
Senhora and innumerable saints with very hard names. 

The pious pagans, however, did not limit themselves to mere 
written thanksgivings and descriptions of the parts affected, but 
hung up in their temples the handiwork of their mechanicians 
and artists, — representations in painting and in sculpture of hands, 
legs, eyes, and other portions of the afflicted body. In the Gloria 
Church also may be seen any quantity of wax models of arms, 
feet, eyes, noses, breasts, &c. &c. Where the disease is internal, 
and the seat of pain cannot well be modelled, the subject is gene- 



* "This wooden deosa has a splendid head of hair. It is the last of a series of 

rapes of locks committed on her account. When the brother of Sr. P. L a, a 

young gentleman of my acquaintance, was seven years old, his hair reached more 
than half-way down his back. His mother, having great devotion to Nossa 
Senhora, sheared off the silken spoils, and offered them as an act of faith to her, 
little thinking how literally she was copying the practice of heathen dames. The 
locks were sent to a French hairdresser, who wrought them into a wig. It was 
then brought to the church and laid in due form before Our Lady, when the priest 
reverently removed her old wig and covered her with the flowing tresses of the 
Larangeiras Absalom." — Ewbank's Sketches of Life in Brazil. 



96 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



ralized by representing a bedridden patient: peril by sea is 
represented by a shipwreck. All proclaim one story, — viz. : the 
miraculous cure wrought by Nossa Senhora and other saints, 
through the ex voto offering. 

We have very early instances of the same mode of procedure 
among the heathen. The lords of the Philistines, who had seized 
in battle the ark of the Covenant, were with their people smitten ; 
and, when returning the ark to the children of Israel, the pagan 
Philistines made golden ex votos to accompany their dreadful cap- 
tive: (1 Sam. vi. 4.) 

Mr. Ewbank, who appears to have devoted much attention to 
comparative archaeology and mythology, makes the following 
quotation from Tavernier, one of the early Eoman Catholic travel- 
lers in India: — "When a pilgrim goes to a pagod for the cure of 
disease, he takes with him a figure of the member affected, made 
of gold, silver, or copper, and offers it to his god." In the second 
volume of Montfaucon (also a Eoman Catholic writer) there is a 
long account of ex votos, "some of which were offered to Neptune 
for safe voyages, Serapis for health, Juno Lucina for children and 
happy deliveries : pictures of sick patients in bed, and eyes, heads, 
limbs, and tablets without number, were offered to Esculapius and 
other popular medical saints among the heathen." 

This sad spectacle of modern heathenism at Eio de Janeiro is 
somewhat ameliorated by the fact that, whenever the ex votos are 
found in a church consecrated to Nossa Senhora or to some saint, 
the offerings are mostly brown and dusty with age. Occasionally 
a fresh pair of eyes or breasts are to be seen, but new wax models 
are less frequent in the capital than formerly. There must, how- 
ever, be a demand for them from some portion of the Empire; for 
one-third of the wax and tallow chandlers (where these objects are 
obtained) at Eio have an ex voto branch in their manufactories. 
At Tijuca, Mr. M., a planter, informed me that he had just seen one 
of his neighbors whose arm had been so disabled that its use was 
lost, until he was advised by some one of the living "saints" to 
go to a chandlery and purchase a wax model of his unruly mem- 
ber to offer to the Yirgin. Suffice to say the arm was completely 
restored. 

On the Sabbath I often passed over the Gloria Hill on my return 



A Sermon in Honor of Our Lady. 



97 



from the shipping or from the hospitals, where I had been holding 
service or visiting the sick. During a festival I mounted the 
hill as usual, and as I walked beneath the broad platform upon 
which the church stands, I heard strains of music that were most 
unlike the solemn chants and the grand anthems of the Bomish 
communion. They were polkas and dances, performed by some 
military band that had been hired for the occasion ! I have re- 
cently been informed that this abuse, as well as some others, has 
been remedied through the direct interposition of the Emperor. 

Dr. Kidder thus gives an account of some of the religious exer- 
cises at the Gloria, which is applicable to Brazilian church-services 
in general : — 

"Preaching is not known among the weekly services of the 
church ; but I twice listened to sermons delivered here on special 
occasions. A small elevated pulpit is seen on the eastern side of 
the edifice, and is entered from a hall between the outer and inner 
walls of the building, In this, at one of the services which 
occurred during Lent, the preacher made his appearance after 
mass was over. The people at once faced round to the left from 
the principal altar, where their attention had been previously 
directed. The harangue was passionately fervid. In the midst of 
it the speaker paused, and, elevating in his hand a small wooden 
crucifix, fell on his knees, and began praying to it as his Lord and 
Master. The people, most of whom sat in rows upon the floor, 
sprinkled with leaves, bowed down their heads, and seemed to 
join him in his devotions. He then proceeded, and, when the 
sermon was ended, all fell to beating their breasts, as if in imita- 
tion of the publican of old. 

"In the second instance, the discourse was at the annual festa 
of Our Lady of the Gloria, and was entirely eulogistic of her cha- 
racter. One of the most popular preachers had been procured, 
and he seemed quite conscious of having a theme which gave him 
unlimited scope. He dealt in nothing less than superlatives : — 
i The glories of the Most Holy Virgin were not to be compared 
with those of creatures, but only with those of the Creator.' 
'She did every thing which Christ did but to die with him/ 
' Jesus Christ was independent of the Father, but not of his 
mother/ Such sentiments, rhapsodically strung together, left no 

7 



98 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



place for the mention of repentance toward God or faith toward 
the Lord Jesus Christ throughout the whole sermon." 

In 1852, on the occasion of a very solemn festival in honor of 
Our Lady, one of the most eloquent padres of Eio was called upon 
to pronounce the discourse in the Church of Our Lady of Mount 
Carmel, which adjoins the Imperial Chapel. In the evening of the 
day referred to, a Eoman Catholic gentleman gave me an account 
of the sermon, one sentence of which I translate for the benefit of 
the reader: — "The magi of the East and the kings of the Orient 
came on painful journeys from distant lands, and, prostrating 
themselves at the feet of Nossa Senhora, offered her their crowns 
for the bestowment of her hand; but she rejected them all, and 
gave it to the obscure, the humble but pious St. Joseph I" 

During a festival, the faithful (and others, for that matter) can 
obtain any amount of pious merchandise, in the shape of medidas 
and bentinhos, — pictures, images, and medals of saints and of the 
Pope, &c. &c. These are " exchanged' ■ — never sold — in the 
church, and fetch round prices. A medida is a ribbon cut the 
exact height of the presiding Lady or saint of the place of wor- 
ship. These, worn next to the skin, cure all manner of diseases, 
and gratify the various desires of the happy purchasers. There 
are certain colors esteemed appropriate to different Nossas Senhoras; 
and once I ascertained the important fact, that, when some pious 
Fluminense has made a vow to JSTossa Senhora, great care must be 
taken not to permit the wrong color to be used. A lady-member 
of my family, wishing to make a small present to one of her friends, 
• — a young Eoman Catholic mother, — sent a neat pink dress for the 
little one ; but the package was soon returned, with many regrets 
that the kind offering could not be received, for a vow was upon 
the mother which had particular reference to her child. She had 
vowed to a Nossa Senhora (whose favorite colors were like the 
driven snow and the heavens above) that if her boy recovered from 
his sickness he should be clothed in nothing but white and blue for 
the next six months ! At the end of that time, it was added, the 
present could be accepted. 

Bentinhos are two little silken pads with painted figures of Our 
Lady, &c. upon them. These are worn next to the skin, in pairs, 
being attached by ribbons, one bentinho resting upon the bosom 



Brazilian Pyrotechny. 



99 



and the other upon the back. These are most efficacious for 
protecting the wearer from invisible foes both before and 
behind. 

I visited the Gloria Church during one of these festivals, and 
the " exchange" of pictures and medietas was immense. The price, 
however, was not always paid in money. I found that wax 
candles oifered to the Yirgin were esteemed equal to copper or 
silver coin. The heat and crowd of the church on this occasion 
were such that I sought the esplanade in front ; and the contrast 
of the cool night-air and the sweet odors that wafted up from the 
gardens beneath was as agreeable as refreshing. 

The multitude, I soon ascertained, were not confined to the 
church. Groups were collected around the fountain, and thou- 
sands were congregated in the ascent called the Ladeira da Gloria, 
or whiling away their time by eating doces, smoking, and con- 
versing in the Largo. They were awaiting the fireworks which 
were to close the festival. The Brazilians are exceedingly fond 
of pyrotechny, and every festival begins and ends with a display 
of rockets and wheels. The grand finale surpasses any thing in 
this line that is ever witnessed in North America; and I doubt 
if there is a single country in the world, except China, where 
pyrotechny is so splendid and varied as in Brazil. Not only are 
there wheels, cones, suns, moons, stars, triangles, polygons, vases, 
baskets, arches with letters and the usual devices known among 
us, but, elevated upon high poles, are human figures as large as 
life, representing wood-sawyers, rope-dancers, knife-grinders, bal- 
let-girls, and whatever vocation of life calls for especial activity. 
By ingenious mechanism these effigies go through their various 
parts with remarkable and lifelike celerity. There is nothing 
gauche. The figures are well dressed, even to the gloves of the 
represented ladies. The wood-sawyer makes the sparks fly, and 
the knife-grinder whirls a wheel that sends forth a perfect u glory" 
of scintillations ! 

There is no festa throughout the year that is more enjoyed by 
the pleasure-loving Fluminenses than that of Nossa Senhora da 
Gloria. The evening before, the usual number of rockets are sent 
up, — probably to arouse the attention of the Yirgin to the honor 
that is about to be paid her on the following day, lest, in the mul- 



100 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



tiplicity of her cares, she should forget the approach of this anni- 
versary j for she must have a very wonderful memory if she call 
to mind each fete-day at which her especial company is requested, 
seeing that every fourth church in Eio is dedicated to a Eossa 
Senhora of some kind. 

Early on the morning of this festival, the approach to the white 
temple is crowded with devotees in their gayest attire; for there 
is nothing in this celebration that requires the usual sombre black. 
The butterflies themselves, and the golden-breasted humming-birds 
that flit among the opening jessamines and roses around, are not 
more brilliant than the senhoras and senhoritas of all ages who 
flutter about, robed in the brightest colors of the rainbow, and 
with their long black tresses elaborately dressed and adorned with 
natural flowers, among which the carnation is pre-eminent. They 
enter the church to obtain the benefit of the mass; and happy they 
who have strength and lungs and nerve enough to force a way 
up to the altar through the crowds whom nature has clad in per- 
petual mourning. Once arrived at this desired spot, they squat 
upon the floor, and, after saying their prayers and hearing mass, 
they amuse themselves with chatting to the circle of beaux who, 
on such occasions, are always in close attendance upon the fair 
objects of their adoration. For be it remarked that most of the 
praying, as in France, is done by the women; and probably for that 
reason each man is anxious to secure an interest in the affections 
of some fair devotee, in order that she may supply his own lack 
of zeal. 

After patiently displaying their charms and their diamonds for 
some hours, a thrill of excitement passes through the throng, and 
salvos of artillery announce the approach of the Imperial party, 
who, when the weather permits, leave their carriages at the foot 
of the hill, and slowly ascend the steep path that leads to the 
church. This has been previously strewn with flowers and wild- 
cinnamon-leaves. 

On some occasions, troups of young girls in white, from the dif- 
ferent boarding-schools, are in waiting at the top, to kiss the hands 
of their Majesties. This is the prettiest part of the exhibition, — 
the Emperor, with his stately form, and the Empress, with her 
good-humored smile, passing slowly through the lines of bright- 



The Larangeiras. 



101 



eyed girls who are not without a slight idea of their own prominent 
part in the graceful group. 

After the ceremonial in the chapel, the Imperial party descends 
to the house of the Baron de Marity, a rich Portuguese merchant, 
who has a fine house hard by, where a splendid collation is pre- 
pared, and the evening is terminated by the fireworks and a ball. 
The pyrotechnic display is on the road opposite his house j and woe 
betide any unfortunate wight who would induce a spirited horse to 
pass that way. There is no other road into the city from Botafogo; 
so that he may as well take a philosophical resolution, and enjoy, as 
best he may, the Catherine wheels and the fiery maidens pirouetting 
in the midst of surrounding sparks. 

A distinguishing feature of these gatherings is, that, amid all the 
thousands present, no scene of rudeness or quarrel is ever witnessed. 
Perfect good-nature reigns around; and if, in the inevitable pressure, 
any person is trodden upon or jostled, an instant apology is made, 
with the hat removed from the head. As water is the only beverage, 
there is nothing to inflame the bad passions of the multitude. The 
slaves are not merely respectful in their manners, but evince a 
joyous sense of liberty for the day; and they ambitiously seek the 
best places for sight-seeing, which their less active masters in vain 
wish to attain. 

At midnight all is over, and the quiet stars shine down upon 
the church-crowned and verdure-robed Gloria. 

When we descend the Ladeira da Gloria and turn to our left, we 
are in a finely-paved — and in some places macadamized — thorough- 
fare called the Catete, a wide and important street, leading from 
the city to Botafogo. About half-way between the town and the 
last-mentioned suburb, we enter the Largo Machado, which is the 
commencement of the Larangeiras, or the valley of orange-groves. 
There were formerly many trees of the Laranga da terra* or native 
orange, in this lovely spot; and, although the most of them have 
disappeared, their places have been filled with their sweeter rela- 
tives, the Laranga selecta, and the night-air is laden with the rich 
perfume of their flowers. Some of the prettiest gardens — which, 



* Gardner is of the opinion that the Laranga da terra, or bitter orange, is not 
indigenous. 



102 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



instead of thick stone walls, are surrounded by open iron railing 
— and the most beautiful residences in Eio nestle in this quiet 
valley. 

A shallow but limpid brook gurgles along a wide and deep ravine, 
lying between two precipitous spurs of the Corcovado Mountain. 
Passing up its banks, you see scores of lavandeiras, or washer- 
women, standing in the stream and beating their clothes upon the 

boulders of rock which lie 
scattered along the bot- 
tom. Many of these 
washerwomen go from the 
city early in the morning, 
carrying their huge bun- 
dles of soiled linen on 
their heads, and at even- 
ing return with them, puri- 
fied in the stream and 
bleached in the sun. Fires 
are smoking in various 
places, where they cook 
their meals; and groups 
of infant children are seen 
playing around, some of 
whom are large enough 
to have toddled after 
their mothers; but most 
of them have been carried 
there on the backs of 
the heavily-burdened ser- 
vants. Female slaves, of every occupation, may be seen carry- 
ing about their children in the manner represented by the cut on 
page 167. 

One is reminded by their appearance of the North American 
Indian pappoose riding on the mother's back; but the different 
methods of fastening the respective infants in permanent positions 
produce very different effects. The straight board on which the 
young Indian is lashed gives him his proverbially-erect form; but 
the curved posture in which the young negro's legs are bound 




LAVANDEIRAS. 



The Ascension of the Corcovado. 



103 



around the sides of the mother often entails upon him crooked 
limbs for life. 

Up the valley of the Larangeiras is a mineral spring, which at 
certain seasons of the year is much frequented. It is denominated 
Agoa Ferrea, — a name indicating the chalybeate properties of the 
water. Near this locality you may enter the road which leads up 
the Corcovado. 

An excursion to the summit of this mountain is one of the first 
that should be made by every visitor to Eio. You may ascend on 
horseback within a short distance of the summit j and the jaunt 
should be commenced early in the morning, while the air is cool 
and balmy, and while the dew yet sparkles on the foliage. The 
inclination is not very steep, although the path is narrow and 
uneven, having been worn by descending rains. The greater part 
of the mountain is covered with a dense forest, which varies in 
character with the altitude, but everywhere abounds in the most 
rare and luxurious plants. Toward the summit large trees become 
rare, while bamboos and ferns are more numerous. Flowering 
shrubs and parasites extend the whole way. 

I once made the excursion in company with a few friends. 
Our horses were left at a rancho not far from the summit, and 
a few minutes' walk brought us through the thicket. Above this 
the rocks are covered with only a thin soil, and here and there a 
shrub nestling in the crevices. What appears like a point from 
below is in reality a bare rock, of sufficient dimensions to admit 
of fifty persons standing on it to enjoy the view at once, although 
its sides, save that from which it is reached, are extremely pre- 
cipitous. In order to protect persons against accidents, iron posts 
have been inserted, and railings of the same material extend 
around the edge of the rock. This has been done at the expense 
of the Government. If we except this slight indication of art, all 
around exhibits the wildness and sublimity of nature. 

The elevation of the mountain — twenty-three hundred and six 
feet — is just sufficient to give a clear bird's-eye view of one of the 
richest and most extensive prospects the human eye ever beheld. 
The harbor and its islands; the forts, and the shipping of the bay; 
the whole city, from S. Christovao to Botafogo; the botanical 
garden, the Lagoa das Freitas, the Tijuca, the Gavia, and the 



104 



Brazil axd the Brazilians. 



Sugar-Loaf Mountains, the islands outside the harbor, the wide- 
rolling ocean on the one hand and the measureless circle of 
mountains and shores on the other, were all expanded around and 
beneath us. The atmosphere was beautifully transparent, and I 
gazed and gazed with increasing interest upon the lovely, the 
magnificent panorama. 

From the sides of this mountain various small streamlets flow 
toward the Larangeiras. By means of artificial channels, these are 
thrown together to supply the great aqueduct. In descending, we 
followed this remarkable watercourse until we entered the city, at 
the grand archway leading from the Hill of Santa Theresa to that 
of San Antonio, as depicted on page 63. ]S"or is this section of the 
route less interesting to those fond of nature. From time to time 
negroes are met, waving their nets in chase of the gorgeous butter- 
flies and other insects which may be seen fluttering across the 
path and nestling in the surrounding flowers and foliage. 

Many slaves were formerly trained from early life to collect and 
preserve specimens in entomology and botany, and, by following 
this as a constant business, gathered immense collections. These 
are favorite haunts for amateur naturalists, who, if imbued with the 
characteristic enthusiasm of their calling, may still find them as 
interesting as did Yon Spix and Yon Martins, whose learned works 
upon the natural history of Brazil may be compared with those 
of Humboldt and Bonpland in Mexico and Colombia. 

The aqueduct is a vaulted channel of mason-work, passing some- 
times above and sometimes beneath the surface of the ground, with 
a gentle declivity, and air-holes at given distances. The views to 
be enjoyed along the line of this aqueduct are, beyond measure, 
interesting and varied. Now you look down at your right upon 
the valley of the Larangeiras, the Largo do Machado, the Catete, 
the mouth of the harbor, and the ocean; anon, verging toward the 
other declivity of the hill, you may survey the Campo St. Anna, 
the Cidade Nova, the splendid suburb of Engenho Yelho, and, in 
the distance, the upper extremity of the bay, surrounded by moun- 
tains and dotted by islands. At length, just above the Convent 
of Santa Theresa, you will pause to contemplate a fine view of the 
town. But for the Hill of S. Antonio and the Morro do Castello 
the greater portion of the city would here be seen at once. The 



Recollections of Sr. Domingos Lopez. 105 



glimpse, however, that is perceptible between these eminences is 
perhaps sufficient, and the eye rests with peculiar pleasure upon 
this unusually -happy combination of the objects of nature and 
of art. 

Probably no city in the world can compare with Rio de Janeiro 
in the variety of sublime and interesting scenery in its immediate 
vicinity. The semicircular Bay of Botafogo and the group of 
mountains surrounding it form one of the most picturesque views 
ever beheld. We are on the Corcovado; before us stands the 
far-famed Sugar-Loaf; and far behind us appears an immense 
truncated cone of granite. When seen at a distance, this mountain 
is thought to resemble the foretopsail of a vessel, and hence its 
name, the G-avia. Between this and the Sugar-Loaf remains a 
group of three, so much resembling each other as to justify the 
name of Tres Irmaos, or Three Brothers. The head of one of the 
brothers stretches above his juniors, and also looks proudly down 
upon the ocean which laves his feet. At the base of the Sugar-Loaf 
is Praia Vermelha, a fertile beach, named from the reddish color of 
the soil. It extends to the fortress of S. Joao on the right, and to 
that of Praia Yermelha on the left, of the Sugar-Loaf. The latter 
is a prominent station for new recruits to the army ; and many are 
the poor Indians from the Upper Amazon who have here been 
drilled to the use of arms. This also was the scene of a bloody 
revolt of the German soldiery in the time of the First Emperor. 

The beach of the ocean outside the Sugar-Loaf is called Copa 
Cabana. A few scattered huts of fishermen and a few ancient 
dwellings belonging to proprietors of the land accommodate all the 
present inhabitants of this locality. Once it used to be far more 
populous, according to the recollections of Senhor Domingos 
Lopez, — a garrulous sexagenarian with whom Dr. Kidder became 
acquainted on one of his visits there, and who detailed to him the 
monstrous changes that had transpired since his boyhood, when 
the site of S. Francisco de Paulo was a frog-pond, and all the city 
beyond it not much better, although built up to some extent with 
low, mean houses. The sand of this beach is white, like the surf 
which dashes upon it. Whoever wishes to be entertained by the 
low but heavy thunder of the waves, as they roll in from the green 
Atlantic, cannot find a more fitting spot; and he that has once 



106 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



enjoyed the sublime companionship of the waves, that here rush to 
pay their homage at his feet, will long to revisit the scene. 

In beholding the Sugar-Loaf for the first time, I was seized with 
an almost irresistible desire to ascend its summit. This wish was 
never carried into action. As my countrymen, however, have 
shared largely in this species of ambition, I shall be more ex- 
cusable. 

It is said by some, that a Yankee midshipman first conceived 
and executed the hazardous project of climbing its rocky sides. 
Nevertheless, this honor is disputed by others in behalf of an 
Austrian midshipman. Belonging to whom that may, it was re- 
served for Donna America Vespucci, in 1838, to be the first lady 
who should attempt the exploit ; but the Donna failed to accomplish 
what her ambitious mind determined. Several persons of both sexes 
have, since this failure, made the attempt, and, at the peril of life 
and limb, some have succeeded in scrambling to the very top. On 
the 4th of July, 1851, Burdell, an American dentist, accompanied 
by his wife, a French coiffeur et sa dame, and a young Scotch- 
woman, made the ascent. From the latter I received an account 
of that adventurous night, when at times they seemed ready to 
dash into the foaming ocean beneath. Their toil and danger were 
of no small magnitude, and, when success finally crowned their 
foolhardiness, they sent up rockets and built a bonfire, to the asto- 
nishment of the gazing Fluminenses. The last ascent of this sin- 
gular mountain, which is almost as steep as Bunker Hill Monument, 
was performed by a young American, who, without a companion 
or the usual appliances and skill of a seafaring man, worked his 
way up to the very summit, under the full blaze of a burning sun. 
He was, however, so disgusted with his adventure, that he begged 
his friends never to mention the subject. 

The Pao de Assucar has an interest in the mind of all who visit 
the capital of Brazil. It is the first and the last object that greets 
his gaze as he enters or quits the magnificent Bay of Bio de 
Janeiro. 



CHAPTEE VII. 



BROTHERHOODS — HOSPITAL OP SAN FRANCISCO DE PAULA — THE LAZARUS AND THE 
RATTLESNAKE — MISERICORDIA — SAILORS' HOSPITAL AT JURUJUBA — FOUNDLING- 
HOSPITAL — RECOLHIMENTO FOR ORPHAN-GIRLS — NEW MISERICORDIA — ASYLUM 
FOR THE INSANE — JOSE" D'ANCHIETA, FOUNDER OF THE MISERICORDIA — 

MONSTROUS LEGENDS OF THE ORDER FRIAR JOHN D' ALMEIDA — CHURCHES — 

CONVENTS. 

To turn from the contemplation of nature to the works of man 
is not always the most pleasing transition; and Bishop Heber's 
well-known and oft-cited lines — 

" Though every prospect pleases, 
And only man is vile" — 

seem doubly true in South America, where the grand and the 
beautiful are so wonderfully profuse and in such strong contrast 
with the shortcomings of earth's last and highest creature. But 
the philanthropy and practical Christianity embodied in the hos- 
pitals of Rio de Janeiro are in happy dissimilitude with the 
mummeries and puerilities which the Roman Catholic Church has 
fostered in Brazil. These institutions, in their extent and effi- 
ciency, command our highest respect and admiration. 

Among the hospitals of the capital there are a number which 
belong to different Irmandades or Brotherhoods. These fraternities 
are not unlike the beneficial societies of England and the United 
States, though on a more extended scale. They are generally 
composed of laymen, and are denominated Third Orders, — as, for 
example, Ordem Terceiro do Carmo, Da Boa Morte, Do Bom Jesus 
do Calvario, &c. They have a style of dress approaching the cleri- 
cal in appearance, which is worn on holidays, with some distin- 
guishing mark by which each association is known. A liberal 
entrance-fee and an annual subscription is required of all the mem- 
bers, each of whom is entitled to support from the general fund in 

107 



108 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



sickness and in poverty, and also to a funeral of ceremony when 
dead. The brotherhoods contribute to the erection and support 
of churches, provide for the sick, bury the dead, and support 
masses for souls. In short, next after the State, they are the most 
efficient auxiliaries for the support of the religious establishment 
of the country. Many of them, in the lapse of years, have become 
rich by the receipt of donations and legacies, and membership in 
such is highly prized. 

The extensive private hospital of S. Francisco de Paulo belongs 
to a brotherhood of that name. It is located in an airy position, 
and built in the most substantial manner. Each patient has an 
alcove allotted to him, in which he receives the calls of the phy- 
sician and the necessary care of attendants. "When able to walk, 
he has long corridors leading round the whole building, in which 
he may promenade, or from the windows enjoy the air and a sight 
of surrounding scenes. There are also sitting-rooms in which the 
convalescent members of the fraternity meet to converse. 

The Hospital dos Lazaros is located at St. Christovao, several 
miles from the city, and is entirely devoted to persons afflicted 
with the elephantiasis and other cutaneous diseases of the leprous 
type. Such diseases are unhappily very common at Eio, where it 
is no rare thing to see a man dragging about a leg swollen to twice 
its proper dimensions, or sitting with the gangrened member ex- 
posed as a plea for charity. The term " elephantiasis' ' is derived 
from the enormous tumors which the affection causes to arise on 
the lower limbs, and to hang down in folds or circular bands, 
making the parts resemble the legs of an elephant. The deformity 
is frightful in itself; but the prevailing belief that the disease is 
contagious imparts to the beholder an additional disgust. 

It was an act of true benevolence by which the Conde da Cunha 
appropriated an ancient convent of the Jesuits to the use of a 
hospital for the treatment of these cases. It was placed, and has 
since remained, under the supervision of the Irmandade do Santis- 
simo Sacramento. The average number of its inmates is about 
eighty. Few in whom the disease is so far advanced as to require 
their removal to the hospital ever recover from it. ISTot long since 
a person pretended io have made the discovery that the ele- 
phantiasis of Brazil was the identical disease which was cured 



Elephantiasis and the Eattlesnake. 109 

among the ancient Greeks by the bite of a rattlesnake. He pub- 
lished several disquisitions on the subject, and thus awakened 
public attention to his singular theory. An opportunity soon 
offered for testing it. An inmate of the hospital, who had been a 
subject of the disease for six years, resolved to submit himself to 
the hazardous experiment. 

A day was fixed, and several physicians and friends of the parties 
were present to witness the result. The afflicted man was fifty 
years old, and, either from a confident anticipation of a cure, or 
from despair of a happier issue, was impatient for the trial. The 
serpent was brought in a cage, and into this the patient introduced 
his hand with the most perfect presence of mind. The reptile 
seemed to shrink from the contact, as though there was something 
in the part which neutralized its venom. When touched, the ser- 
pent would even lick the hand without biting. It became neces- 
sary at length, for the patient to grasp and squeeze the reptile 
tightly, in order to receive a thrust from his fangs. The desired 
infliction was at length given, near the base of the little finger. 

So little sensation pervaded the member that the patient was 
not aware he was bitten until informed of it by those who saw the 
act. A little blood oozed from the wound, and a slight swelling 
appeared when the hand was withdrawn from the cage ; but no 
pain was felt. Moments of intense anxiety now followed, while 
it remained to be seen whether the strange application would issue 
for the better or for the worse. The effect became gradually 
manifest, although it was evidently retarded by the disease which 
had preoccupied the system. In less than twenty-four hours the 
Lazarus was a corpse ! 

The most extensive hospital in the city, and indeed in the Em- 
pire, is that called the Santa Casa da Misericordia, or the Holy House 
of Mercy. This establishment is located upon the sea-shore, under 
the brow of the Castello Hill, and is open day and night for the 
reception of the sick and distressed. The best assistance in the 
power of the administrators to give is here rendered to all, male 
and female, black or white, Moor or Christian, — none of whom, 
even the most wretched, are under the necessity of seeking influ- 
ence or recommendations in order to be received. 

From the statistics of this establishment it appears that more 



110 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



than seven thousand patients are annually received, of whom more 
than one thousand die. 

In this hospital are treated vast numbers of English and 
American seamen, the subjects of sickness or accident on their 
arrival, or during their stay in the port. There are few nations 
of the world which are not represented among the inmates of the 
Misericordia of Eio de Janeiro. Free access being always granted 
to its halls, they furnish an ample and interesting field for benevo- 
lent exertions in behalf of the sick and dying. 




THE JURUJUBA HOSPITAL. 



The years 1850, '51, '52, and '53 were those of great mortality 
among foreigners on account of the first and only known visit of 
the yellow fever to Eio de Janeiro and the coast of Brazil. The 
number of deaths among the natives was much exaggerated, and 
in no portion of the Empire was the mortality ever so great as in 
those parts of the United States which have so often been visited 
by the same disease. In 1854, '55, and '56, no cases of the yellow 



The Yellow Fever Hospital at Jurujuba. Ill 

fever occurred, and its appearance and disappearance have been 
equally mysterious. The reader curious in such matters will find 
this subject treated in the appendix. 

New hospitals were arranged for the reception of foreign mari- 
ners stricken down with this fell malady; but none have been so 
well appointed, so well regulated, and so eminently successful, as 
the hospital at Jurujuba, under the supervision of an able medical 
committee, of which Dr. Paulo Candido is the chief. The principal 
visiting and attending physician is Dr. Correo de Azevado, a gen- 
tleman of great affability and experience, speaking ten different 
languages with fluency, and who is a universal favorite among his 
patients from all parts of the world. Every day during the year 
the little steamer "Constancia," bearing Dr. Azevado and his 
assistants, passes through the entire shipping, receiving the sick, 
and then transports them to the southern shores of the St. Xavier's 
or Jurujuba Bay. The hospital is situated in the midst of perpetual 
verdure, and where the ocean and land breezes are uncontaminated 
by the many impurities of a vast city. Here are excellent and 
kind nurses, who co-operate with the physicians in promoting the 
recovery of the invalids. 

Jurujuba Hospital was for me a place of frequent visitation 
during the prevalence of the dreaded yellow fever. How many a 
poor wayfarer of the deep have I seen here and on shipboard, far 
away from country, home, and relatives, go down to the grave ! 
How often, too, have I witnessed the power of that " hope which 
maketh not ashamed/' as I have caught from dying lips the last 
loving messages sent to a distant father, mother, or sister, or as I 
have listened to the triumphant hymn which proclaimed the vic- 
tory over the last foe to man ! 

Although there was free transit to all who wishecl to go to the 
hospital, I never met a single Brazilian or Portuguese priest in my 
many visits to Jurujuba. It could not be pleaded in extenuation 
that it was an institution for English and American mariners, for a 
very large proportion were Portuguese, Spanish, French, and 
Italian sailors. The only Eoman Catholic ecclesiastic of any 
grade that I ever saw at Jurujuba was one of the devoted Italian 
Capuchins who seem at Eio to be ever on errands of mercy, 
through tropic heats and rains, while the lazy, lounging, greasy, 



112 



Brazil axd the Brazilians. 



acclimated frades of San Antonio, San Bento, and of Carmo, live 
at ease in their huge conventual buildings, situated in the loveliest 
and healthiest portions of the city. 

Before the erection of Jurujuba Hospital nearly all the necessitous 
foreign invalids were accommodated in the Misericordia. 

The benevolence of this latter hospital is not confined to those 
within its infirmaries, but extends to the different prisons of the 
city, most of whose inmates receive food and medicines from the 
provisions of the Misericordia. 

Besides the public hospital, the institution has another for found- 
lings, and a Becolhimento, or Asylum for Female Orphans, The 
Foundling-Hospital* is sometimes called Casa da Boda, in allusion 
to the wheel in which infants are deposited from the streets and 
by a semi-revolution conveyed within the walls of the building. 
This wheel occupies the place of a window, facing the thorough- 
fare, and revolves on a perpendicular axis. It is divided by par- 
tition into four triangular apartments, one of which always opens 
without, thus inviting the approach of any who may be so heartless 
as to wish to part with their infant children. They have only to 
deposit the foundling in the box, and by a turn of the wheel it 
passes within the walls, they themselves going away unobserved. 

That such institutions are the offspring of a mistaken philan- 
thropy is as evident in Brazil as it can be in any country. Not 
only do they encourage licentiousness, but they foster the most 
palpable inhumanity. Out of three thousand six hundred and 
thirty infants exposed in Bio during ten years anterior to 1840, 
only one thousand and twenty-four were living at the end of that 
period. In the year 1838-39, four hundred and forty-nine were 
deposited in the wheel, of whom six were found dead when taken 
out; many expired the first day after their arrival, and two hun- 
dred and thirty-nine died in a short period. 

The report of the Minister of the Empire for the official year 
1854-55 gives the following alarming statistics and the comments 
of the minister : — 



* The Foundling-Hospital is at present the large three-story building seen on 
the right-hand side of the " View of the Gloria Hill from the Terrace of the Passeio 
Publico." 



Foundling Hospital axd Misericordia. 



113 



"In 1854, 588 infants were received, in addition to 68 already in 
the establishment. Total, 656: died, 435; remaining, 221. 

"In 1853, the number of foundlings received was 630, and of 
deaths 515. (!) 

"There was, therefore, less mortality in the past than in the 
former year. Still, the number of deaths is frightful. 

" Up to the present time it has not been possible to ascertain the 
exact causes of this lamentable mortality, which with more or less 
intensity always takes place among such infants, notwithstanding 
the utmost effort and care that has been used to combat the evil." 

Well might one of the physicians of the establishment, in whose 
company a gentleman of my acquaintance visited several depart- 
ments of the institution, remark, " Monsieur, c'est une boucherie!" 

What must be the moral condition or the humane feelings of 
those numerous persons who deliberately contribute to such an ex- 
posure of infant life? One peculiar circumstance connected with 
this state of things consists in the alleged fact that many of the 
foundlings are the offspring of female slaves, whose masters, not 
wishing the trouble and expense of endeavoring to raise the chil- 
dren, or wishing the services of the mothers as wet-nurses, require 
the infants to be sent to the engeitaria, where, should they survive, 
they of course are free. A large edifice for the accommodation of 
foundlings is being erected on the Largo da Lapa. 

The Asylum for Female Orphans is a very popular establishment. 
It is chiefly supplied from the Foundling-Hospital. The institution 
not only contemplates the protection of the girls in its care during 
their more tender years, but provides also for their marriage, and 
confers on them dowries of from two to four hundred milreis each. 
On the 2d of July, every year, when the Romish Church cele- 
brates the anniversary of the Visitation of St. Elizabeth, by pro- 
cessions, masses, and the like, this establishment is thrown open to 
the public, and is thronged with visitors, (among whom are their 
Imperial Majesties,) some of whom bring presents to the recolhidas, 
and some ask for them in marriage. 

The new buildings of the Misericordia are upon a grand scale, and 
the view of it to those entering the harbor is, architecturally con- 
sidered, truly magnificent. It is constructed of stone, and is six 
hundred feet in length. There is only the half of the immense 

8 



114 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



structure presented to the eye as we look at the sketch below, en- 
graved from a daguerreotype; and the reader will be astonished at 
the size of this noble beneficiary edifice when he is informed that 
it is a double building, and that its twin-brother is in the rear of 
it; but it is so connected as to form several airy quadrangular 
courts. With its modern improvements, insuring superior ventila- 
tion, light, and cleanliness, — with its flower-gardens and shrubberies 
for the recreation and exercise of the convalescent, — with its cool 




St. Luzia's Jesuits' College. Morro do CasteUo. Arsenal of War. 

Chapel. 

MISERICORDIA. 

fountains, its spacious apartments, kind attendants, and beautiful 
situation, — this hospital is, as has been well said, " a credit to the 
civilization of the age, and a splendid monument of the munifi- 
cence and benevolence of the Brotherhood of Mercy." 

The Lunatic Asylum, or, as it is officially called, the Hospicio de 
Pedro II., situated on the graceful Bay of Botafogo, is a splendid, 
palace-like structure, inaugurated in 1852. The accommodation 
for the insane is here upon a scale of comfort and splendor only 
equalled by the Misericordia, whose noble dome lifts itself above 



Jose de Anchieta. 



115 



the Praia da Santa Luzia. The French Sisters of Charity are the 
nurses here as well as in the house of the Brothers of Mercy. The 
Emperor, after whom the hospital at Botafogo is named, is one of 
its most liberal supporters. 

The annual expenses of the Misericordia are about one hundred 
and fifty thousand dollars. A small portion of its receipts are pro- 
vided for by certain tributes at the Custom-House, another portion 
by lotteries, and the balance by donations and the rent of properties 
which belong to the institution through purchase and legacies. 
The Foundling-Hospital and Eecolhimento have been in existence 
about a hundred years. The original establishment of the Miseri- 
cordia dates back as far as 1582, and took place under the auspices 
of that distinguished Jesuit, Jose de Anchieta. About that time 
there arrived in the port a Spanish armada, consisting of sixteen 
vessels-of-war, and having on board three thousand Spaniards, 
bound to the Straits of Majellan. During the voyage very severe 
storms had been experienced, in which the vessels had suffered 
greatly, and sickness had extensively broken out on board. An- 
chieta was at the time on a visit to the college of his order, which 
had been founded some years previously, and whose towers still 
surmount the Castello Hill. Moved by compassion for the suffering 
Spaniards, he made arrangements for their succor, and in so doing 
laid the foundation of an institution which has continued to the 
present day enlarging its charities and increasing its means of 
alleviating human suffering. 

It is impossible to contemplate the results of such an act of 
philanthropy without a feeling of respect toward its author. 
How many tens of thousands, during the lapse of more than two 
hundred and fifty years, have found an asylum within the walls of 
the Misericordia of Rio de Janeiro, — how many thousands a grave ! 
Anchieta was among the first Jesuits sent out to the Xew ATorld, 
and his name fills a large space in the history of that order. His 
earlier labors were devoted to the Indians of S. Paulo, and along 
that coast, where he endured great privations and exerted a power- 
ful influence; but he finally returned to Rio de Janeiro, and there 
ended his days. 

His self-denial as a missionary, his labor in acquiring and method- 
izing a barbarous language, and his services to the State, were 



116 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



sufficient to secure to him an honest fame and a precious memory; 
but in the latter part of the ensuing century he was made a candi- 
date for saintship, and his real virtues were made to pass for little 
in comparison with the power by which it was pretended that he 
had wrought miracles. Simon de Yasconcellos, Provincial of 
Brazil, and historian of the province, composed a narrative of 
his life, which is one of the greatest examples of extravagance 
extant. 

It may be interesting to pass from the Santa Casa da ILisericor- 
dia, so happily associated with his name, up the steep paved walk 
which leads to the old Jesuits' College on the ALorro do Castello, 
where Anchieta died. Here we may contemplate the huge anti- 
quated structure, which, although long since perverted from its 
original use, remains, and is destined to remain perhaps for ages 
to come, a monument of the wealth and power of the order 
founded by Ignatius de Loyola, whose name the college bore. 

It is sickening to turn our attention from the good which 
Anchieta did, to the absurd inventions in regard to the founder of 
the ALisericordia after he had been for a hundred years slumbering 
in the tomb. It is only one of those monstrous legends invented 
by the priests, approved by the Inquisition, and ratified by the 
church, which were for centuries palmed off upon the credulity of 
the people, as a means of advancing the interests and the renown 
of rival monastic orders. 

~Kt. Southey remarks : — " It would be impossible to say which 
order has exceeded the others in Europe in this rivalry, each 
having carried the audacity of falsehood to its utmost bounds; but 
in Brazil the Jesuits bore the palm." 

Of this few will doubt who read the following. "Some/' says 
Vasconcellos, "have called him [Anchieta] the second Thauma- 
tourgos; others, the second Adam, — and this is the fitter title ; 
because it was expedient that, as there had been an Adam in the 
Old World, there should be one in the Xew, to be the head of all 
its inhabitants and have authority over the elements and animals 
of America, such as the first Adam possessed in Paradise. 

" There were, therefore, in Anchieta, all the powers and graces 
with which the first Adam had been endowed, and he enjoyed 
them not merely for a time, but during his whole life ; and for this 



The Wonderful Gifts of Anchieta. 117 



reason, like our common father, he was born with innocence, 
impassibility, an enlightened mind, and a right will. 

"Dominion was given him over the elements and all that dwell 
therein. The earth brought forth fruit at his command, and even 
gave up the dead, that they might be restored to life and receive 
baptism from his hand. The birds of the air formed a canopy 
over his head to shade him from the sun. The fish came into his 
net when he required them. The wild beasts of the forest attended 
him in his journeys and served him as an escort. The winds and 
waves obeyed his voice. The fire, at his pleasure, undid the mis- 
chief which it had done, so that bread which had been burnt to a 
cinder in the oven was drawn out white and soft by his inter- 
ference. 

"He could read the secrets of the heart. The knowledge of 
hidden things and sciences was imparted to him; and he enjoyed 
daily and hourly ecstasies, visions, and revelations. He was a 
saint, a prophet, a worker of miracles, and a vice-Christ ; yet such 
was his humility, that he called himself a vile mortal and an igno- 
rant sinner. 

"His barret-cap was' a cure for all diseases of the head. Any 
one of his cilices, [wire shirts,] or any part of his dress, was an 
efficacious remedy against impure thoughts. "Water poured over 
one of his bones worked more, than two hundred miracles in Per- 
nambuco, more than a thousand in the South of Brazil; and a 
few drops of it turned water into wine, as at the marriage in 
Galilee. Some of his miracles are commended as being more 
fanciful and in a more elegant taste [_sic~] than those which are re- 
corded in the Scriptures." 

The book in which these assertions are made, and which is 
stuffed with examples of every kind of miracles, was licensed by 
the various censors of the press at Lisbon, — one of whom declares, 
that, as long as the publication should be delayed, so long would the 
faithful be deprived of great benefit, and God himself of glory ! 

The same author, who has collected and attested all the fables 
which credulity and ignorance had propagated concerning Anchieta, 
has produced a far more extraordinary history of Friar Joam 
dAlmeida, his successor in sanctity. It was written immediately 
after Almeida's death, when the circumstances of his life were fresh 



\ 



118 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



in remembrance, and too soon for the embellishment of machinery 
to be interwoven. 

This remarkable person, whose name appears originally to have 
been John Martin, was an Englishman, born in London during the 
reign of Elizabeth. In the tenth year of his age he was kidnapped 
by a Portuguese merchant, apparently for the purpose of preserving 
him in the Catholic faith; and this merchant, seven years after- 
ward, took him to Brazil, where, being placed under the care of 
the Jesuits, he entered the company. 

Anchieta was his superior, then an old man, broken down with 
exertion and austerities and subject to frequent fain tings. Almeida 
used to rub his feet at such times, in reference to which he was 
accustomed to say that, whatever virtue there might be in his 
hands, he had taken it from the feet of his master. No volup- 
tuary ever invented so many devices for pampering the senses as 
Joam d' Almeida did for mortifying them. He looked upon his 
body as a rebellious slave, who, dwelling within-doors, eating at 
his table, and sleeping in his bed, was continually laying snares 
for his destruction; therefore he regarded it with the deepest 
hatred, and, as a matter of justice and self-defence, persecuted, 
flogged, and punished it in every imaginable way. For this pur- 
pose he had a choice assortment of scourges, — some of whipcord, 
some of catgut, some of leathern thongs, and some of wire. He 
had cilices of wire for his arms, thighs, and legs, one of which was 
fastened around the body with seven chains ; and another he called 
his good sack, which was an under- waistcoat of the roughest horse- 
hair, having on the inside seven crosses made of iron, the surface 
of which was covered with sharp points, like a coarse rasp or a nut- 
meg-grater. Such was the whole armor of righteousness in which 
this soldier of Christ clad himself for his battles with the infernal 
enemy. It is recorded among his other virtues that he never dis- 
turbed the mosquitos and fleas when they covered him; that, what- 
ever exercise he might take in that hot climate, he never changed 
his shirt more than once a week; and that on his journeys he put 
pebbles or grains of maize in his shoes. 

His daily course of life was regulated in conformity to a paper 
drawn up by himself, wherein he promised "to eat nothing on 
Mondays, in honor of the Trinity, — to wear one of his cilices, 



Fkiar Joam d'Almeida. 



119 



according to the disposition and strength of the poor beast, as he 
called his body, and to accompany it with the customary fly- 
flapping of his four scourges, in love, reverence, and remembrance 
of the stripes which our Saviour had suffered for his sake. Tues- 
days, his food was to be bread and water, with the same dessert, to 
the praise and glory of the archangel Michael, his guardian angel, 
and all other angels. Wednesdays, he relaxed so far as only to 
follow the rule of the company. On Thursdays, in honor of the 
Holy Ghost, the most holy sacrament, St. Ignatius Loyola, the 
apostles, and all saints, male and female, he ate nothing. Fridays, 
he was to bear in mind that the rules of his order recommended 
fasting, and that he had forsworn wine except in cases of neces- 
sity. Saturday, he abstained again from all food, in honor of the 
Virgin, and this abstinence was to be accompanied with whatever 
might be acceptable to her ; whereby exercises of rigor as well as 
prayer were implied. On Sundays, as on Wednesdays, he observed 
the rules of the community." 

The great object of his most thankful meditations was to think 
that, having been born in England,* and in London, in the very 
seat and heart of heresy, he had been led to this happy way of life. 
In this extraordinary course of self-torment, Friar Joam d'Almeida 
attained the great age of fourscore and two. When he was far 
advanced in years, his cilices and scourges were taken from him 
lest they should accelerate his death • but from that time he was 
observed to lose strength, as if his constitution was injured by the 
change : such practices were become necessary to him, like a per- 
petual blister, without which the bodily system, having been long 
accustomed to it, could not continue its functions. He used to 
entreat others, for the love of God, to lend him a whip or a cilice, 
exclaiming, "What means have I now wherewith to appease the 
Lord ? What shall I do to be saved ?" Such are the works which 
a corrupt church has substituted for faith in Christ and for the 
duties of genuine Christianity. 

Nor must this be considered as a mere case of individual mad- 
ness. While Almeida lived, he was an object of reverence and 



* On one side of his portrait is the figure of England, on the other that of Brazil, 
and under them these words: — "Hinc Anglus, hinc Angelus." 



120 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



admiration, not only to the common people of Bio de Janeiro, but 
to persons of all ranks. • His excesses were in the spirit of his reli- 
gion, and they were recorded after his death for edification and 
example, under the sanction of the Superiors of an order which at 
that time held the first rank in the estimation of the Eoman 
Catholic world. 

During his last illness the convent was crowded with persons 
who were desirous to behold the death of a saint. Nothing else 
was talked of in the city, and the Fluminenses accosted each other 
with condolences as for some public calamity. Solicitations were 
made thus early for scraps of his writing, rags of his garments or 
cilices, and, indeed, any thing which had belonged to him; and 
the porter was fully employed in receiving and delivering beads, 
cloths, and other things which devout persons sent, that they 
might be applied to the body of the dying saint and imbibe from 
it a healing virtue. He was bled during his illness, and every drop 
of the blood was carefully received upon cloths, which were divided 
as relics among those who had most interest in the college. 

When the bell of the college announced his death, the whole 
city was as greatly agitated as if the alarm of an invasion had been 
given. The governor, the bishop-administrator, the magistrates, 
nobles, clergy, and religious of every order, and the whole people, 
hastened to his funeral. Every shop was shut. Even the cripples 
and the sick were carried to the ceremony. Another person died 
at the same time, and it was with great difficulty that men could 
be found to bear the body to the grave. 

An official statement of the proceedings of the day was drawn 
up, to be a perpetual memorial ; and the admiration of the people 
for Friar Joam d' Almeida was so great, especially in Eio de Janeiro, 
that they used his relics in diseases with as much faith as if he had 
been canonized, and with as much success. For a while they in- 
voked no other saint, as if they had forgotten their former objects 
of devotion ! 

The practical rules of our Saviour, in the Sermon on the Mount, 
in regard to cheerfulness and absence of ostentation in religion, are 
very far from coinciding with the above practices ; and one would 
judge that there was no need of a Mediator for the man who thus 
worked out his own salvation. 



Churches, Chapels, and Convents. 121 



There are within the city of Eio and its suburbs about fifty 
churches and chapels. They are generally among the most costly 
and imposing edifices of the country, although many of them have 
but little to boast as regards either plan or finish. They may 
be found of various form and style. Some are octagonal, some are 
in the form of the Eoman and some of the Grecian cross, while 
others are merely oblong. The Church of the Candellaria* was 
originally designed to be a cathedral for the diocese of Eio de 
Janeiro. It was commenced about seventy years ago, but is not 
yet entirely finished. Like nearly every other building for eccle- 
siastical purposes in the country, it stands as a memento of past 
generations. The erection of a new church in Brazil is not an 
event of frequent occurrence. 

The chapels of the convents are in several instances larger, and 
probably more expensive, than any of the churches. That of the 
Convent of San Bentof is one of the most ancient, having been 
repaired, according to an inscription it bears, iu 1671. The exte- 
rior of the edifice is rude but massive ; its windows are heavily 
barred with iron gratings, more resembling a prison than a place 
of worship. The sides of the chapel are crowded with images and 
altars. The roof and ceiled walls exhibit paintings designed to 
illustrate the history of the patron saint, the relics of whose 
miracles are here carefully preserved. Unnumbered figures of 
angels and cherubs, carved in wood and heavily gilded, look down 
upon you from every corner in which they can be fastened: in 
fact, nearly the whole interior is gilt. The order of the Bene- 
dictines is by far the richest in the Empire, possessing houses and 
lands of vast extent, though the number of monks is at present 
quite small. In the convent proper, a large square area is sur- 
rounded by corridors open on one side, and exhibiting the doors 
of the several dormitories of the monks on the other. An accessible 
apartment is devoted to the library; composed of about six thou- 
sand volumes. The sombre and melancholy air which pervades 



* The tall spires of this church may be seen in the general " View of Rio de 
Janeiro from the Island of Cobras," rising above the right of the central palm-tree. 

f The turrets of this convent are those seen farthest to the right, in the " View" 
referred to in the note above. 



122 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

this monastic pile is in perfect contrast with the splendid scene to 
be enjoyed in front of it, and with the neat and modern appear- 
ance of the Naval Arsenal, located at the foot of the eminence on 
which it stands.* 

A striking peculiarity in the aspect of Eio de Janeiro is derived 
from the circumstance that all the most elevated and commanding 

sites of the city and its 
vicinity are occupied by 
churches and convents. 
Of these may be next men- 
tioned the Convent of 
St. Anthony, a mendicant 
order, whose shovel-hat 
monks, although sworn to 
eternal poverty, have con- 
trived to obtain a very 
valuable site and to erect 
a most costly edifice. The 
building, since they can pos- 
sess nothing themselves, 
belongs, very conveniently, 
to the Pope of Eome. In 
it are two immense cha- 
pels and a vast cloister, 
with scarcely enough friars 
to keep them in order. 

On a hill opposite that 
of S. Antonio is the nun- 
nery of Santa Theresa, occupying a situation more picturesque, 
perhaps, than that of either of the monasteries mentioned; and 
yet, as if to render the appearance of the building as offensive as 
possible in the midst of scenery ever breathing the fragrance of 
opening flowers and smiling in beauty, its contracted windows are 



* On the island of Cobras, nearly opposite the Convent of S. Bento, is an im- 
mense copper ring near the water's edge, put down by the celebrated Captain 
Cook in his last voyage. 




The Lady Boarders of Ajuda Convent. 123 



not only barred with iron gratings, but even these gratings are set 
with bristling spikes. 

The Convent of Nossa Senhora da Ajuda, which is overlooked 
from the Hill of Santa Theresa, completes the list of monastic insti- 
tutions in the capital of Brazil. In this last-mentioned were for- 
merly many inmates who had not taken the veil. The jealousy 
of the Portuguese and their descendants was such, that in other 
years it was not uncommon for a gentleman, when making a visit 
to the mother-country, to incarcerate — or, more politely, " procure 
lodgings" for — his wife in the convent, where she remained during 
his entire absence. I have understood that this shameful practice 
has been forbidden by the present Emperor. The monasteries may 
all be considered unpopular, and could never again be erected at 
any thing like their present expense. 

The churches of all descriptions are generally open every morn- 
ing. At this time masses are said in most of them. Ordinarily 
but few persons are in attendance, and these are principally women. 
Upon the great holidays, several of which occur during Lent, the 
churches are thronged, and sermons are occasionally delivered; 
but nothing like regular preaching on the Sabbath or any other day 
is known in any part of the country. 



CHAPTEE VIII. 



ILLUMINATION OF THE CITY — EARLY TO BED — POLICE — GAMBLING AND LOTTERIES 
— MUNICIPAL GOVERNMENT— VACCINATION — BEGGARS ON HORSEBACK — PRISONS — 
SLAVERY — BRAZILIAN LAWS IN FAVOR OF FREEDOM — THE MINA HERCULES — 
ENGLISH SLAVE-HOLDERS SLAVERY IN BRAZIL DOOMED. 

The streets of few cities are better lighted than those of Eio de 
Janeiro. The gas-works on the Atterrado sends its illuminating 
streams to remote suburbs as well as through the many and intri- 
cate thoroughfares of the Cidade Velha and the Cidade Nova. 
They have not the convenient fiction which city governments so 
often palm off upon themselves in the United States, — viz. : that the 
moon shines half the year; for in Eio, whether Cynthia is in the 
full, or whether shorn of her beams by unforeseen storms, the lamps 
continue to shed their brilliant light. The coal for the gas comes 
from England. 

After ten o'clock at night few people are seen in the streets. 
The Brazilians are eminently an "early to bed, early to rise" 
people. "When the great bells ring out the hour of ten, every slave 
" heels it;" and woe be to him that is caught out after the tocsin 
tolls the time when the law prescribes that he should be in his 
master's house; for, if dilatory, the police seize Jose and commit 
him to durance vile until his owner ransom him by a smart fine. 

The same rule does not hold good in regard to freemen; yet 
one would think that it was equally in force without regard to 
class, for the Fluminensians, as a general thing, retire at ten p.m. 
Nothing is more surprising to a stranger from the North, to whom 
the night is so attractive, with its coolness, its fragrance, and its bril- 
liancy, than to find the streets and the beautiful suburbs of the city 
almost as tenantless and silent as the ruins of Thebes or Palmyra. 

The police of Eio de Janeiro is military, and is well disciplined 

by officers of the regular army. They are fortified with plenty 
124 



The Policeman and his Duties. 



125 



of authority, and take care to use it. Great difficulties have some- 
times occurred between the constabulary and foreigners, where, on 
some occasions, the former have been to blame; but it was good 
for " Young America," when going " round the Horn" on his way 
to California, to be held in wholesome restraint by these "yellow 
Brazilians," whom he affected to despise. The police is armed. 
During the day you may see them singly or in pairs, having their 
positions in convenient localities for watching the slaves and all 
others suspected of liability to disorder. Now the policeman, with 
three or four of his com- 
panions, strolls along by 
Hotel Pharoux to have an 
eye upon the foreign sailors; 
or again, with a single con- 
frere, he takes his stand by 
the Carioca fountain; or, 
again, his undress-cap, 
his blue uniform, his 
sword, and his brace of 
pistols, are wholesomely 
displayed at a corner venda, 
where the tamanca*-sho& 
Sr. Antonio from Fayal 
sells cachaga, (rum,) pig- 
tail tobacco, came secca, 
mandioc-flour, red Lisbon 
wine, and black beans. 
The above-mentioned sta- 
ples are the articles of 
stock and consumption for 
the low grocer and the low 
class that patronize him. Sometimes he will get a little higher in 
the provision-line, and add butter, brought from Ireland, lard 
from the United States, onions from Portugal, sardines, a few hams, 
and sausages. Then, too, he is somewhat of a lumber-merchant ; 



* A sort of -wooden-soled slipper much worn by the lower class of whites and the 
free blacks. 



i 




POLICEMAN AND VENDA. 



126 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



for he purchases a few bundles of finely-split wood, which, together 
with charcoal, is the small accompaniment of the kitchen-battery 
in Brazil. At these vendas is the only hard drinking (except that 
done by English and Americans) in Bio, and that imbibing is by 
the slaves. Often Congo or Mozambique becomes eloquent under 
the effects of cachaga, and then the policeman is an effectual arbiter. 

I have found few cities more orderly than Bio de Janeiro; and 
the police are so generally on the alert, that, in comparison with 
New York and Philadelphia, burglaries rarely occur. I felt greater 
personal security at a late hour of the night in Bio than I would 
in New York. Yet there are occasions when the police receive a 
strong hint through the public press for their remissness. The 
following, taken from a late Gorreio Mercantile is an illustration : — 
" Night before last, after eight o'clock, an individual named 
Mauricio was attacked by a band of capoeiras* who fell upon him 
with clubs, striking him upon the forehead, and gashing his thigh 
in such a manner as to injure the artery. The victim, bathed in 
blood, was taken to the drug-store of Sr. Pires Ferao, and there 
received the necessary succors, which were afforded him by Dr. 
Thomas An tunes de Abreu, who rushed to the aid of the poor man 
as soon as he was called. No police-authority appeared to take 
cognizance of this criminal deed!" Such outrages are exceptions, 
and a few articles based on facts like the above soon arouse the 
police to their duty. 

There are some offences against the good of society which the 
police occasionally winked at during my residence in Bio, — i.e. 
gambling. The jogo seems an inveterate habit of some Brazilians; 
and when I have been cooped up with them in quarantine I have 
had opportunities for watching how every class represented in the 
Lazarro, from the padre down, gave itself up to the gambling- 
passion. At Bio the laws are very stringent against gambling- 
houses; and there are times when their owners are earnestly 
ferreted out by the police. But in the Bua Princeza, during 1852 
and '53, a certain lawyer each Saturday night constituted his 
house a rendezvous where gamblers met, — the regular professional 



* Africans, •who with daggers run a muck in the streets, but not often at the 
present day in Rio. See page 137. 



Gambling and Lotteries. 



127 



blackleg, (including the lawyer,) and the young pigeon who came 
to be plucked. When I went to my religious services at nine 
o'clock on Sabbath morning, their carriages would be still standing 
before the door, and their sleepy servants yawning and swearing 
on every side. Policemen regularly marched down the Catete at 
all hours of the night and in the daytime ; yet month after month 
passed, and the den was not broken up until their operations were for 
a time suspended by the suicide of one of the parties concerned. 

There is another species of gambling most deleterious in its 
eifects, which is countenanced and supported by the Government. 
I refer to lotteries. They are not " sham" concerns, but prizes are 
put up, and, if drawn, paid. If it is a church, a theatre, or some 
other public building, to be erected, the Government grants a 
lottery. There are always six thousand tickets at 20$000 (twenty 
milreis) each; the highest prize is 20,000$000, (or about ten thou- 
sand dollars,) and the second prize is half that sum : there are then 
two thousand more tickets, which draw prizes of 20$000 (ten dol- 
lars) and upward. Everywhere in the city are offices for selling the 
tickets, and in the country there are equestrian ticket-venders who 
go from house to house with the risking billets. There is no fraud 
in awarding the prizes, and there is such a rage for this kind of 
gambling that the tickets are sold in a few days. The effects are 
bad; for the poorest whites and the shabbiest blacks will rake, 
scrape, and steal, until they have sufficient to purchase the twentieth 
part of a billet, and then run with it to the shop where the flaming 
wheel-sign with Anda a roda hoje (The wheel turns to-day) tells 
them that this is the road to fortune. When such a spirit is 
engendered by the State, it becomes rather difficult for the muni- 
cipal authorities to put down private gambling. 

The head-quarters of the police are in an ancient public building 
in the Eua da Guarda Yelha. 

The city government, consisting of nine aldermen, who compose 
the Camara municipal, are elected by the people of Eio (i.e. those 
possessing 100$, — about fifty dollars income) once in four years. 

The City Hall, which is called the Camara Municipal, is situated 
on the Campo Santa Anna. The General Government enforces 
vaccination, and it is on the lower floor of this building where all 
who present themselves on Thursdays and Saturdays are vaccinated 



128 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



free of charge : the patients, however, are obligated to return after 
eight days. A portion of the report of the Minister of the Empire 
is devoted to this subject, and in the report of 1854-55 the minister 
says that in the cities and large towns it is easy to enforce the 
law, but in the villages and the country it is difficult to overcome 
the obstacles which superstition throws in the way. 

There is a class, confined to no portion of the world, which comes 
under the especial surveillance of the police. Every Saturday the 
beggars have their harvest. Mr. Walsh remarked, in 1828, that 
beggars were seldom seen in the streets of Eio. This was far from 
being the case in 1838, when Dr. Kidder resided there. Through 
the lenity or carelessness of the police, great numbers of vagrants 
were continually perambulating the streets and importuning for 
alms ; and mendicants of every description had their chosen places 
in the thoroughfares of the town, where they regularly waited and 
saluted the passers-by with the mournful drawl of Favorece o seu 
pobre pelo amor de Deos. If any, instead of bestowing a gift, saw 
fit to respond to this formula with its counterpart, Deos Ihe favorece, 
(God help you,) they were not always sure to escape without an 
insult. When this state of things was at its height, and it was 
known that numerous rogues were at large under the disguise of 
beggars, the chief of the police suddenly sprung a mine upon them. 
He offered the constables a reward of ten milreis for every mendi- 
cant they could apprehend and deliver at the House of Correction. 
In a few days not less than one hundred and seventy-one vaga- 
bundos were delivered, over forty of whom were furnished with 
employment at the marine arsenal. The remainder were made to 
labor at the penitentiary till they had liquidated the expense of 
their apprehension. This measure had a most happy effect, and 
the streets were thenceforward comparatively free from mendicity, 
although persons really deserving charity were permitted to ask 
for aid at their pleasure. 

But in 1855 the evil had again become a crying one. All shades 
of beggars seemed to abound everywhere. At length it was dis- 
covered that poor, old, worn-out slaves — those afflicted with blind- 
ness and elephantiasis — were sent out by their masters to ask 
alms. A new chef de police, however, made an onslaught upon such 
mendicants. He had them arrested and examined. No slave was 



Beggars on Horseback. 



129 



thenceforth allowed to beg, as he rightly deemed that the owner 
who had enjoyed the fruit of his labor during his days of health 
could well afford to take care of him when overtaken by old age 
and sickness.* Twelve mendicants were considered real objects 
of charity, and had licenses given them. These beggars, being 
either blind or lame, have now the monopoly of the eleemosynary 
sympathies of the good people of Eio ; and I believe it is found to 
be a most profitable business. Some of them are carried in a rede 
by two slaves or drawn by one ; one worthy rejoices in a little 
carriage pulled by a fat sheep, and another — a footless man — rides 



\ 




THE BEGGAR. 



on a white horse. Sometimes, in the country-parts of Brazil, beg- 
gars whose pedal extremities are free from all derangement play 
the cavalier, altogether disdaining to foot it, and seem to receive 
none the less charity than if they trudged from door to door. 
Upon one occasion, a female beggar, adorned with a feather in her 
bonnet and mounted on horseback, rode up to a friend of mine at 
St. Alexio, and, demanding alms, was exceedingly indignant at any 
inquiries as to the consistency of her costume. The English pro- 
verb is not remarkably complimentary to such mendicants; but 



* The proverb in Portuguese is very forcible: — " He who has enjoyed the meat 
may gnaw the bones." 

9 



130 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



a like application is never heard in the land of the Southern 
Cross. 

The House of Correction, referred to on a previous page, is 
located under the brow of a high hill, between the suburbs of 
Catumby and Mata Porcos. The grounds pertaining to it are 
surrounded by high granite walls, constructed by the prisoners, 
who have long been chiefly employed on various improvements 
of the premises. On the hill-side is a quarry, and numbers are 
employed in cutting stone for more extended walls and buildings. 
Others are made to carry dirt in wooden trays upon their heads, 
sometimes from one part of the ground to another, or to fill the 
cars of a tram-railway, which runs from within the walls to the 
borders of a marsh nearly a mile distant, which is by this process 
being reclaimed from the tide-water and converted into valuable 
ground. The more refractory criminals are chained together, gene- 
rally two and two, but sometimes four or five go along in file, clank- 
ing a common chain, which is attached to the leg of each individual. 

The House of Correction is as fine a building, in an architectural 
point of view, as any similar edifice in the United States. The 
Director, (Sr. Falcao^) however, finds fault with its plan. It is not 
yet completed; and it is gratifying to see that the Brazilian 
Government is taking every measure to bring about an entire 
reform in prison-buildings and prison-discipline. It is one of those 
evidences of progress in a nation which is unmistakable. In 1852, 
Sr. Antonio J. de M. Falcao — who, by his intelligence and enlarged 
views, was admirably fitted for his office — was sent to the United 
States to inspect our various prison-systems. The report of Sr. Falcao 
to the Minister of Justice (Sr. J. Thomas Nabuco de Araujo) is in- 
corporated in one of the Belatorios of the nation for 1854-55, and is 
full of interest. It seems strange to read, in the official message of 
a Brazilian Minister, familiar and sensible discussions in regard to 
the systems of Auburn and Pennsylvania ; and it is a deserved com- 
pliment to Sr. Falcao that his able report has been fully reprinted 
in our own country, in the "Journal of Prison Discipline," so ably 
conducted by F. A. Packard, Esq., of Philadelphia. Sr. Falcao gives 
his preference to the system of Pennsylvania. The Belatorio of 
the Minister of Justice for the year mentioned is overflowing with 
instructive and interesting details in regard to penitentiaries and 



Punishments of Slaves. 



131 



prisons. It is not, however, a mere dry narration of facts, but 
wise suggestions and feasible improvements are laid before the 
nation in a manner at once clear, attractive, and forcible. 

The city prisons known as the Aljube and the Xadres da Policia 
all have been in a sad state : bad ventilation, bad food, and miserable 
damp cells, have called forth the denunciations of Sr. Falcao and 
other enlightened philanthropists in Eio, and these evils will soon 
be remedied. 

Besides the prisons now enumerated, there are places of confine- 
ment in the different forts ; those of Santa Cruz and the Ilha das 
Cobras being the principal. 

Many of the prisoners are slaves, though the Brazilian law is not 
at all dainty as to color or 

condition. In the Eelatorio r 



dience or for common mis- ^S^cs^ — ^ 

demeanors. They are re- THE L0G> IR0N C0L lar, and tin mask. 

ceived at any hour of the 

day or night, and retained free of expense as long as their masters 
choose to leave them. It would be remarkable if scenes of extreme 
cruelty did not sometimes occur here. 



and blacks) were, for mur- 
der, condemned to death. 
The punishment of four- 
teen of the slaves was com- 
muted, and that of but four 
of the freemen. 



of the Minister of Justice 
for the year 1854-55 I find 
that from the 7th of Sep- 
tember, 1853, to the 16th 
of March, 1855, forty slaves 
and twenty-one free per- 
sons (which includes whites 



One department of the 
Cam da Correcao is appro- 
priated to the flogging of 
slaves, who are sent thither 
to be chastised for disobe- 




132 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



The punishments of the Casa da Correcao are not, however, the 
only chastisements which the refractory slave receives. There are 
private floggings ; and some of the most common expiations are 
the tin mask, the iron collar, and the log and chain. The last two 
denote runaways ; but the tin mask is often placed upon the visage 
to prevent the city-slave from drinking cachaga and the country- 
slave from eating dirt, t o which many of the field -negroes are 
addicted. This mania, — for it can be called nothing else, — if not 
checked, causes languor, sickness, and death. 

The subject of slavery in Brazil is one of great interest and hope- 
fulness. The Brazilian Constitution recognises, neither directly 
nor indirectly, color as a basis of civil rights; hence, once free, the 
black man or the mulatto, if he possess energy and talent, can rise 
to a social position from which his race in North America is 
debarred. Until 1850, when the slave-trade was effectually put 
down, it was considered cheaper, on the country -plantations, to 
use up a slave in five or seven years and purchase another, than to 
take care of him. This I had, in the interior, from intelligent 
native Brazilians, and my own observation has confirmed it. But, 
since the inhuman traffic with Africa has ceased, the price of slaves 
has been enhanced, and the selfish motives for taking greater care 
of them have been increased. Those in the city are treated better 
than those on the plantations : they seem more cheerful, more full 
of fun, and have greater opportunities for freeing themselves. But 
still there must be great cruelty in some cases, for suicides among 
slaves — which are almost unknown in our Southern States — are 
of very frequent occurrence in the cities of Brazil. Can this, how- 
ever, be attributed to cruelty ? The negro of the United States is 
the descendant of those who have, in various ways, acquired a 
knowledge of the hopes and fears, the rewards and punishments, 
which the Scriptures hold out to the good and threaten to the evil : 
to avoid the crime of suicide is as strongly inculcated as to avoid 
that of murder. The North American negro has, by this very 
circumstance, a higher moral intelligence than his brother fresh 
from the wild freedom and heathenism of Africa ; hence the latter, 
goaded by cruelty, or his high spirit refusing to bow to the white 
man, takes that fearful leap which lands him in the invisible 
world. 



Brazilian Laws in favor of Freedom. 



133 



In Brazil every thing i s in favor of freedom j* and such are the facili- 
ties for the slave to emancipate himself, and, when emancipated, if 
he possess the proper qualifications, to ascend to higher eminences 
than those of a mere free black, that fuit will be written against 
slavery in this Empire before another half-century rolls around. 
Some of the most intelligent men that I met with in Brazil — men 
educated at Paris and Coimbra — were of African descent, whose 
ancestors were slaves. Thus, if a man have freedom, money, and 
merit, no matter how black may be his skin, no place in society is 
refused him. It is surprising also to observe the ambition and 
the advancement of some of these men with negro blood in their 
veins. The National Library furnishes not only quiet rooms, large 
tables, and plenty of books to the seekers after knowledge, but 
pens and paper are supplied to such as desire these aids to their 
studies. Some of the closest students thus occupied are mulattoes. 
The largest and most successful printing-establishment in Eio — 
that of Sr. F. Paulo Brito — is owned and directed by a mulatto. In 
the colleges, the medical, law, and theological schools, there is no 
distinction of color. It must, however, be admitted that there is a 
certain — though by no means strong — prejudice existing all over 
the land in favor of men of pure white descent. 

By the Brazilian laws, a slave can go before a magistrate, have 
his price fixed, and can purchase himself; and I was informed that 
a man of mental endowments, even if he had been a slave, would 
be debarred from no official station, however high, unless it might 
be that of Imperial Senator. 

The appearance of Brazilian slaves is very different from that of 
their class in our own country. Of course, the house-servants in 
the large cities are decently clad, as a general rule ; but even these 
are almost always barefooted. This is a sort of badge of slavery. 
On the tables of fares for ferry-boats, you find one price for persons 
wearing shoes, (calgadas,) and a lower one for those descalgas, or 



* A Southern lady (the wife of the very popular United States Consul at Rio 
during the administration of President Pierce) used to say that "the very paradise 
of the negroes "was Brazil;" for there they possess a warm climate, and, if they 
choose, may make their way up in the world, in a manner which can never be the 
case in the United States. 



134 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



without shoes. In the houses of many of the wealthy Fluminenses 
you make your way through a crowd of little woolly-heads, mostly 
guiltless of clothing, who are allowed the run of the house and the 
amusement of seeing visitors. In families that have some tincture 
of European manners, these unsightly little bipeds are kept in the 
background. A friend of mine used frequently to dine in the 
house of a good old general of high rank, around whose table 
gambolled two little jetty blacks, who hung about their "pai" (as 
they called him) until they received their portions from his hands, 
and that, too, before he commenced his own dinner. Whenever the 
lady of the house drove out, these pets were put into the carriage, 

and were as much offended 
at being neglected as any 
spoiled only son. They 
were the children of the 
lady's nurse, to whom she 
had given freedom. Indeed, 
a faithful nurse is generally 
rewarded by manumission. 

The appearance of the 
black male population who 
live in the open air is any 
thing but appetizing. Their 
apology for dress is of the 
coarsest and dirtiest de- 
scription. Hundreds of 
them loiter about the 
streets with large round 
wicker-baskets ready to 
carry any parcel that you 
desire conveyed. So cheaply 
and readily is this help ob- 
tained, that a white servant 
seldom thinks of carrying 
home a package, however small, and would feel quite insulted if 
you refused him a preto de ganlio to relieve him of a roll of calico 
or a watermelon. These blacks are sent out by their masters, and 
are required to bring home a certain sum daily. They are allowed 




PRETO D E 



HO AND QUITANDEiRA. 



The Mina Hercules. 



135 



a portion of their gains to buy their food, and at night sleep on 
a mat or board in the lower purlieus of the house. You fre- 
quently see horrible cases of elephantiasis and other diseases, 
which are doubtless engendered or increased by the little care 
bestOAved upon them. 

The coffee-carriers are the finest race of blacks in Brazil. They 
are almost all of the Mina tribe, from the coast of Benin, and are 
athletic and intelligent. They work half clad, and their sinewy 
forms and jetty skins show to advantage as they hasten at a 
quick trot, seemingly unmindful of their heavy loads. This work 
pays well, but soon breaks them down. They have a system 
among themselves of buying the freedom of any one of their num- 
ber who is the most respected. After having paid their master the 
sum required by him daily, they club together their surplus to 
liberate the chosen favorite. There is now a Mina black in Bio 
remarkable for his height, who is called " The Prince," being, in 
fact, of the blood-royal of his native country. He was a prisoner 
of war, and sold to Brazil. It is said that his subjects in Eio once 
freed him by their toil: he returned, engaged in war, and was a 
second time made prisoner and brought back. Whether he will 
again regain his throne I know not; but the loss of it does not 
seem to weigh heavily on his mind. He is an excellent earner; 
and, when a friend of mine embarked, the "Prince" and his troop 
were engaged to transport the baggage to the ship. He carried 
the largest case on his head the distance of two miles and a half. 
This same case was pronounced unmanageable in Philadelphia 
by the united efforts of four American negroes, and it had to be 
relieved of half its contents before they would venture to lift it 
up-stairs. 

From time to time the traveller will meet with negroes from 
those portions of Africa of which we know very little except by 
the reports of explorers like the intrepid Livingstone and Barth. 
I have often thought that the slaves of the United States are 
descended not from the noblest African stock, or that more than a 
century of bondage has had upon them a most degenerating effect. 
We find in Brazil very inferior spiritless Africans, and others of 
an almost untamable disposition. The Mina negro seldom makes 
a good house-servant, for he is not contented except in breathing 



136 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



the fresh air. The -men become coffee-carriers, and the women 
quitandeiras, or street pedlars. 

These Minas abound at Bahia, and in 1838 plunged that city into 
a bloody revolt, — the last which that flourishing municipality has 
experienced. It was rendered the more dreadful on account of 
the secret combinations of these Minas, who are Mohammedans, 
and use a language not understood by other Africans or by the 
Portuguese. 

When the delegation from the English Society of Friends visited 
Eio de Janeiro in 1852, they were waited upon by a deputation of 
eight or ten Mina negroes. They had earned money by hard 
labor and had purchased their freedom, and were now desirous of 
returning to their native land. They had funds for paying their 
passage back again to Africa, but wished to know if the coast were 
really free from the slavers. Sixty of their companions had left 
Bio de Janeiro for Badagry (coast of Benin) the year before, and 
had landed in safety. The good Quakers could scarcely credit this 
last information, thinking it almost impossible that any who had 
once been in servitude "should have been able and bold enough to 
make so perilous an experiment;" but the statement of the Minas 
was confirmed by a Bio ship-broker, who put into the hands of the 
Friends a copy of the charter under which the sixty Minas sailed, 
and which showed that they had paid four thousand dollars passage- 
money. (See Appendix.) A few days after this interview, Messrs. 
Candler & Burgess received from these fine-looking specimens of 
humanity " a paper beautifully written in Arabic by one of their 
chiefs, who is a Mohammedan." 

In Bio the blacks belong to many tribes, some being hostile 
to each other, having different usages and languages. The Mina 
negroes still remain Mohammedans, but the others are nominal 
Boman Catholics. 

Many of them, however, continue their heathen practices. In 
1839, Dr. Kidder witnessed in Engenho Yelho a funeral, which was 
of the same kind as those curious burial-customs which the African 
traveller beholds on the Gaboon Biver. You can scarcely look 
into a basket in which the quitandeiras carry fruit without seeing 
a fetisch. The most common is a piece of charcoal, with which, the 
abashed darkey will inform you, the "evil eye" is driven away. 



English Slave-holders. 



137 



There is a singular secret society among the negroes, in which the 
highest rank is assigned to the man who has taken the most lives. 
They are not so numerous as formerly, but from time to time harm 
the unoifending. These blacks style themselves capoeiros, and 
during a festa they will rush out at night and rip up any other 
black they chance to meet. They rarely attack the whites, know- 
ing, perhaps, that it would cost them too dearly. 

The Brazilians are not the only proprietors of slaves in the 
Empire. There are many Englishmen who have long held Africans 
in bondage, — some for a series of years, and others have purchased 
slaves since 1843, when what is called the Lord Brougham Act 
was passed. By this act it is made unlawful for Englishmen to 
buy or sell a slave in any land, and by holding property in man 
they are made liable, were they in England, to prosecution in 
criminal courts. The English mining-company, whose stockholders 
are in Great Britain, but whose field of operations is S. Joao del 
Eey in Brazil, own about eight hundred slaves, and hire one thou- 
sand more. 

Frenchmen and Germans also purchase slaves, although they 
have not given up allegiance to their respective countries. 

If it be asked, "Who will be the laborers in Brazil when slavery 
is no more?" the reply (given more at length in the account of a 
visit to the colony of Senator Yergueiro) is that the supply will 
come from Germany, Portugal, the Azores and Madeira, and other 
countries. 

It is a striking fact that emigrants did not begin to arrive from 
Europe by thousands until 1852. In 1850 and '51 the African slave- 
trade was annihilated, and in the succeeding year commenced the 
present comparatively vigorous colonization. Each year the number 
of colonists is increasing, and the statesmen of the Empire are now 
devoting much attention to discover the best means for thus pro- 
moting the advancement of the country. 

Almost every step in Brazilian progress has been prepared by a 
previous gradual advance: she did not leap at once into self- 
government. She was raised from a colonial state by the residence 
of the Court from Lisbon, and enjoyed for years the position of 
a constituent portion of the Kingdom of Portugal. The present 
peaceful state of the Empire under D. Pedro II. was preceded by 



138 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



the decade in which the capabilities of the people for self-govern- 
ment were developed under the Regency. The effectual breaking 
up of the African slave-trade is but the precursor of a more import- 
ant step. 

Slavery is doomed in Brazil. As has already been exhibited, when 
freedom is once obtained, it may be said in general that no social 
hinderances, as in the United States, can keep down a man of 
merit. Such hinderances do exist in our country. From the warm 
regions of Texas to the coldest corner of New England the free 
black man, no matter how gifted, experiences obstacles to his eleva- 
tion which are insurmountable. Across that imaginary line which 
separates the Union from the possessions of Great Britain, the 
condition of the African, socially considered, is not much superior. 
The Anglo-Saxon race, on this point, differs essentially from the 
Latin nations. The former may be moved to generous pity for 
the negro, but will not yield socially. The latter, both in Europe 
and the two Americas, have always placed merit before color. 
Dumas, the mulatto novel-writer, is as much esteemed in France 
as Dickens or Thackeray are in England. An instance came under 
my own observation which confirms most strongly the remark 
made above. In 1849, it was my privilege to attend with a large 
number of foreigners a soiree in Paris, given by M. de Tocqueville, 
then French Minister of Foreign Affairs. I was introduced to a 
visitor from the United States, who for the first time looked upon 
the scenes of the gay capital, and as we proceeded to the refresh- 
ment-room his arm rested on mine. I found that this clergyman, 
by his intelligence, common sense, and modesty, commanded the 
admiration of all with whom he came in contact. A few weeks 
afterward a European university of high repute honored him with 
the degree of Doctor of Divinity. In England he was looked upon 
with interest and curiosity; but, had he proposed a social alliance 
equal to his own station, I doubt if success would have attended 
his offer. In 1856, the same clergyman was ejected from a New 
York railway-omnibus, by a conductor who daily permitted, with- 
out molestation, filthy foreigners of the lowest European class 
to occupy seats in the identical car. When the matter was 
submitted to the courts of justice, the decision sustained the 
conductor. There was no attempt to place the case on any 



Slavery. 



139 



other ground than that the plaintiff was a man of African 
descent. 

Thus far reason and Christianity have proved impotent in root- 
ing out this prejudice, or in doing away with these social hinderances, 
which, more than slavery, will ever render the black man "a hewer 
of wood and a drawer of water" to the Anglo-American, and which, 
unjust as they are, I fear can never be eradicated. These insur- 
mountable obstacles, it seems to me, like plain providences, point 
to Liberia as the nearest land where the North-American-born 
negro may enjoy the full freedom and the social equality enjoyed 
by the African descendants in the most enlightened Government 
of South America. 



CHAPTEE IX. 



RELIGION — THE CORRUPTION OF THE CLERGY — MONSIGNOR BEDINI — TOLERATION 

AMONG THE BRAZILIANS THE PADRE FESTIVALS CONSUMPTION OF WAX 

THE INTRUDO — PROCESSIONS — ANJINHOS — SANTA PRISCILLIANA — THE CHOLERA 
NOT CURED BY PROCESSIONS. 

The "Eoman Catholic Apostolic" is tlie religion of the State in 
Brazil; yet, by the liberal Constitution, and by the equally -liberal 
sentiments of the Brazilians, all other denominations have the 
right to worship God as they choose, whether in public or in 
private, with the single limitation that the church-edifice must 
not be no formo do templo, — in the form of a temple, — which has 
been defined by the supreme judges to be a building " without 
steeples or bells/' Eoman Catholicism in Brazil has never been 
subject to the influences with which it has had to contend in 
Europe since the Reformation. It was introduced contempora- 
neously with the first settlement of the country as a colony, and 
for three hundred years has been left to a perfectly free and 
untrammelled course. It has had the opportunity of exerting its 
very best influences on the minds of the people, and of arriving at 
its highest degree of perfection. In pomp and display it is unsur- 
passed even in Italy. The greatest defender of the Church of 
Eome must admit that South America has been a fair field for his 
ecclesiastical polity; and if his religion could have made a people 
great, enlightened, and good, it has had the power to have made 
Spanish and Portuguese America a moral, as it is a natural, Para- 
dise. Spain and Portugal, at the time of the appropriation of their 
possessions in the New World, were equal, if not superior, to the 
English in all the great enterprises of the fifteenth and sixteenth 
centuries : but how widely different have been the results which 
have flowed from the colonies founded by both ! Brazil is in every 
respect the superior State of South America just so far as she has 

abandoned the exclusiveness of Eomanism. Since the Independ- 
140 



CORKUPTION OF THE PRIESTHOOD. 



141 



ence, the priest-power has been broken, and the potent hierarchy 
of Eome does not rule over the consciences and acts of men as in 
Chili or Mexico. On numerous occasions, measures have been 
taken in the Assemblea Geral to curtail the assumptions of the 
triple-crowned priest of the Eternal City; and once,* at least, it 
was proposed to render the Brazilian Church independent of the 
Holy See. 

It may be said that the advancement in liberality which the 
Empire has displayed has been owing to political considerations. 
Granted : but every reader of history knows that the commence- 
ment of the English Eeformation was largely implicated with 
politics, and England's independence of the Papal power was the 
beginning of her greatness as a state, and paved the way for the 
rapid moral advancement which characterizes England to-day. 

In Brazil, however, other than political views must be taken of 
the present freedom from bigotry. The priests, to some extent, 
owe the loss of their power to their shameful immorality. There 
is no class of men in the whole Empire whose lives and practices 
are so corrupt as those of the priesthood. It is notorious. The 
Relatorios (messages) of the Minister of Justice and the Provincial 
Presidents annually allude to this state of things. Every news- 
paper from time to time contains articles to this effect; every man, 
whether high or low, speaks his sentiments most unreservedly on 
this point; no traveller, whether Romanist or Protestant, can shut 
his eye to the glaring facts. In every part of Brazil that I have 
visited I have heard, from the mouths of the ignorant as well as 
from the lips of the educated, the same sad tale; and, what is 
worse, in many places the priests openly avow their shame. Dr. 
Gardner, the naturalist, lived in Brazil from 1836 to '41, and the 
greater part of that time in the interior, where foreigners are very 
rarely found. In speaking of the banishment of the laborious and 
indefatigable Jesuits, whose lives in this portion of America were 
without reproach, this distinguished botanist says, "What different 
men they must have been from the degraded race who now under- 
take the spiritual welfare of this nation ! It is a hard thing to say, 



* This "was during the Regency, when Padre Antonio Maria de Moura "was nomi- 
nated to the vacant bishopric of Rio de Janeiro. 



142 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



but I do it not without well considering the nature of the asser- 
tion, that the present clergy of Brazil are more debased and immoral 
than any other class of men"* 

Though we should lament immorality in any man or class of 
men, yet the combination of circumstances mentioned has had its 
effect in rendering the people, as well as the Government, tolerant. 

A few years ago, Monsignor Bedini (Archbishop of Thebes, and 
late Pope's Legate in the United States and in other partibus infi- 
delium) was the Nuncio of Pius IX. at the Court of Brazil. In 
July, 1846, the nuncio went to the mountain-city of Petropolis, 
(about forty miles from Bio,) where are many German Protestants, 
who have a chapel of their own, which, as well as the chapels in 
other colonies, is protected under the broad shield of the Constitu- 
tion, and receives a portion of its support directly from the Govern- 
ment. There had been certain mixed marriages; and Monsignor 
preached a furious sermon, in which he declared that all Bomanists 
so allied were living in concubinage, — their marriages were void, and 
their children illegitimate. A storm of indignation, both at Petro- 
polis and Bio, fell upon the head of the nuncio, whose arrival in 
Brazil had been preceded by the rumor of an assurance to the Pope 
that he would bind this Empire " faster than ever to the chair of 
St. Peter." The Diario do Bio de Janeiro, & conservative journal 
always considered the quasi organ of the Government, denounced 
M. Bedini in firm but respectful language, and insisted that it was 



* I was once dining with a Roman Catholic gentleman in the province of Rio de 
Janeiro, and, of his own accord, he said to me, "How can I obey the injunctions 
of my priest ? he reads us the Decalogue, and yet he is the greatest breaker of the 
seventh commandment." In the province of Bahia I made the acquaintance of a 
Roman Catholic who had a number of female operatives under his charge, and a 
chapel connected with his establishment. The priest (who was one of the few 
moral ecclesiastics in Brazil) died. The proprietor then made known his wish for 
a new chaplain. Five candidates presented themselves. Four were men whose 
lives were of such a grossly-immoral character that I dare not insult my readers 
by the particulars which I received from a member of the Romish Church. The 
fifth was an old man of good repute, but not very active. As a dernier resort, he 
was engaged to fill the chaplaincy ; but only a few months elapsed before he was 
discovered to be living in open concubinage with an abandoned character, and on 
remonstrance would not give up this sinful union. 



MONSIGNOR BeDIXI. 



143 



the highest imprudence thus to kindle the fires of religious intole- 
rance. Its columns contained sentiments in regard to this subject 
of which the following is a specimen: — "Propositions like those 
emitted from the Chair of Truth by a priest of the character of 
AT. Bedini are eminently censurable." 

The nuncio was put down, but not until one of his friends 
published what were probably the sentiments of Monsignor, in 
which he complains of the Emperor for "not taking sides in the 
controversy and using his influence to prevent the spread of 
Protestant heresies." 

There is no country in South America where the philan- 
thropist and the Christian have a freer scope for doing good 
than Brazil. So far from its being true that a Protestant clergy- 
man is always tabooed, and that the people " entertain a feeling 
toward him bordering on contempt/' — as one writer on Brazil 
has expressed it, — I can testify to the strongest friendship formed 
with Brazilians in various portions of the Empire, — a friendship 
which did not become weakened by the contact of years or by 
the plain manifestations and defence of my belief; and I can 
subscribe to the remark put forth by my colleague in 1845, when 
he says, — 

" It is my firm conviction that there is not a Roman Catholic 
country on the globe where there prevails a greater degree of 
toleration or a greater liberality of feeling toward Protestants. 

"I will here state, that in all my residence and travels in Brazil 
in the character of a Protestant missionary, I never received the 
slightest opposition or indignity from the people. As might have 
been expected, a few of the priests made all the opposition they 
could ; but the circumstance that these were unable to excite the 
people showed how little influence they possessed. On the other 
hand, perhaps quite as many of the clergy, and those of the most 
respectable in the Empire, manifested toward us and our work both 
favor and friendship. 

"From them, as well as from the intelligent laity, did we often 
hear the severest reprehension of abuses that were tolerated in the 
religious system and practices of the country, and sincere regrets 
that no more spirituality pervaded the public mind." 

To one who looks alone at the empty and showy rites of the 



144 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Eoman Catholic Church in Brazil, there is no future for the 
country. But when we consider the liberal and tolerant senti- 
ments that prevail, — when we reflect upon the freedom of debate, 
the entire liberty of the press, the diffusion of instruction, and the 
workings of their admirable Constitution, — we cannot believe that 
future generations of Brazilians will retrograde. Intellectuality 
without morality is, we are aware, an engine of tremendous power 
wanting a balance-wheel; but we have faith that God, who has 
blessed Brazil so highly in other respects, will not withhold from 
her the greatest boon, however untoward at present may be the 
prospect of such a bestowment. 

A faithful narrator cannot pass over this subject without giving 
a brief notice of some of the peculiarities connected with worship 

at the capital, which, to a 
certain extent, are those 
witnessed in every pro- 
vince of the Empire. 

There is no mistaking 
a priest or any species 
of ecclesiastics in Brazil. 
The frades, (monks,) the 
Sisters of Charity, as well 
as the priests, have their 
peculiar costumes, — most 
of them exceedingly incon- 
venient in a warm climate. 
You cannot be an hour in 
the streets of Bio de Ja- 
neiro without beholding 
the padre, with his large 
hat and his closely-but- 
toned and long gown, 
moving along with per- 
fect composure under a 
hot sun that makes every 
one else swelter. In the churches, where there generally pervades 
a cool atmosphere, the padre, with his uncovered, tonsured head, 
with his thin gowns and airy laces, seems prepared for a tropic 




The Padre. 



145 



clime ; but, when the mass is said and his duties are finished, he 
doffs his garment of common-sense thickness and dons that which 
would be comfortable in a Northern winter. 

The padre's office is not onerous in Brazil, unless he choose to 
make it such ; and very few are thus inclined. There are no poor 
families to visit through rude snow-storms ; there is no particular 
cure of souls, beyond repeating masses in the cool of the morning, 
the carrying of the Host to the hopeless sick, and attendance 
at a funeral, for which the carriage and fee are always provided. 
The confessional does not trouble him greatly, for the people 
are not much given to confession, knowing too well the charac- 
ter of the confessor. If he is of an ambitious turn of mind, he 
becomes a candidate for the Chamber of Deputies, — perchance he 
succeeds in securing a seat in the Senate, — and there he will pour 
out more eloquence, in ore rotundo Lusitanian, than he has ever 
delivered from the pulpit. Perhaps formerly his heaviest duties 
were in getting up festivals. They have been wonderfully abridged 
as to number, but still there is a very respectable share of them, 
which gives work to the padres and the alms-collectors, and holi- 
days to clerks, school-children, and slaves. 

Bishop Manuel do Monte Eoderigues d'Araujo, when professor at 

Olinda, published a compendium of moral theology, and he states 

that the number of holidays observed in the Empire of Brazil is 

the same as that decreed by Pope Urban VIII. in 1642, with the 

addition of one in honor of the patron saint of each province, city, 

town, and parish, for which Urban' s decree also provides. These 

holidays are divided into two general classes : — Dias santos de 

guarda, or whole holidays, in which it is not lawful to work; and 

Dias santos dispensados, or half-holidays, in which the ecclesiastical 

laws require attendance upon mass, but allow the people to labor. 

The number of the former varies from twenty to twenty-five, 

according as certain anniversaries fall on a Sabbath or on a 

weekday; while the number of the latter is from ten to fifteen. 

The celebration of these holidays by festivals and processions 

engages universal attention throughout the country; and the 

North American is constantly reminded of the 4th of July 

minus the patriotic enthusiasm. The number of festivals were 

curtailed within a few years; yet some five or six during the 

10 



146 



Brazil axd the Brazilians 



year arrest the course of commerce and material duties gene- 
rally. 

It is particularly observable that all the religious celebrations 
are deemed interesting and important in proportion to the pomp 
and splendor which they display. The desirableness of having all 
possible show and parade is generally the crowning argument 
urged in all applications for Government patronage, and in all 
appeals designed to secure the attendance and liberality of the 
people. 

The daily press of Bio de Janeiro must annually reap enormous 
sums for religious advertisements, of which I give one or two 
specimens. 

The announcement of a festival in the Church of Santa Eita is 
thus concluded : — 

" Tbisfesta is to be celebrated with high mass and a sermon, at the expense of 
the devotees of the said Virgin, the Most Holy Mother of Grief, who are all invited 
by the Board to add to the splendor of the occasion by their presence, since they 
will receive from the above-named Lady due reward." 

The following is the advertisement of a festa up the bay, at 
Estrella, and is as clumsily put together in Portuguese as it appears 
in the literal English translation which I have given : — 

" The Judge and some devout persons of the Church of Our Lady of Estrella, 
erected in the village of the same name, intend to hold a festival there, with a 
chanted mass, sermon, procession in the afternoon, and a Te Deum, — all with the 
greatest pomp possible. — on the 23d instant ; and at night there will be a beautiful 
display of fireworks. The managers of the feast have asked the Director of the 
Inhomerim Steamboat Company to put on an extra steamer that will leave the 
Praia dos Mineiros at eight o'clock in the morning and return after the fireworks. 

"It is requested that all the devotees will deign to attend this solemn act, to 
render it of the most brilliant description. 

"Frasctsco Pereira Ramos, Secretary. 

"Estrella, Sept. 17, 1855." 

The following will be to Northern Christians as novel as it is 
irreverent : — 

" The Brotherhood of the Divine Holy Ghost of San Gocalo (a small village across 
the bay) will hold the feast of the Holy Ghost, on the 31st instant, with all possible 
splendor. Devout persons are invited to attend, to give greater pomp to this act 
of religion. On the 1st proximo there will be the feast of the Most Holy Sacra- 
ment, with a procession in the evening, a Te Dunn, and a sermon. On the 2d, — the 



Festivals, and Consumption of Wax. 147 

feast of the patron of San Goncalo, — at three p.m. there will be brilliant horse- 
racing [!] ; after which, a Te Deum and magnificent fireworks." 

But it is not the Church alone which advertises the festas. The 
tradesmen, having an eye to business, freely make known their 
ecclesiastic wares through the agency of public journals. The 
following is a specimen : — 

"Notice to the Illustrious Preparers of the Festival of the Holy Spirit. — In the Rua 
dos Ourives, No. 78, may be found a beautiful assortment of Holy Ghosts, in gold, 
with glories, at eighty cents each ; smaller sizes, without glories, at forty cents ; 
silver Holy Ghosts, with glories, at six dollars and a half per hundred ; ditto, with- 
out glories, three dollars and a half ; Holy Ghosts of tin, resembling silver, seventy- 
five cents per hundred." 

The language of the last two advertisements seems to us like 
blasphemy ; but, with the Brazilian public, there is a levity and a 
want of veneration in holy things shocking to all whose religious 
impressions are derived from the word of God. 

In some particulars the festivals of all the saints are alike. They 
are universally announced, on the day previous, by a discharge 
of skyrockets at noon and by the ringing of bells at evening. 
During the festa, also, — whether it continue one day or nine, — the 
frequent discharge of rockets is kept up. These missiles are so 
constructed as to explode high up in the air, with a crackling 
sound, after which they descend in beautiful curves of white smoke 
if in the daytime, or like meteoric showers if at night. Dr. Walsh, 
who had resided a number of years in Turkey, thought that the 
Brazilians quite equalled the Turks of Constantinople in their fond- 
ness for exploding gunpowder on festival occasions. He, more- 
over, gives an estimate, by which it would appear that " about 
seventy-five thousand dollars are annually expended in Eio for 
gunpowder and wax, — the two articles which enter so largely into 
all these exhibitions of pomp and splendor." The wax is con- 
sumed in vast quantities of candles that are kept burning before 
the diiferent shrines, interspersed with artificial flowers and other 
decorations. 

Great care is bestowed upon this manner of adorning churches, 
by day as well as by night. Sometimes regular rows of blazing 
tapers are so arranged in front of the principal altars as to present 
the appearance of semicones and pyramids of light streaming from 



148 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



the floor to the roof of the edifice. These tapers are all made 
of wax, imported from the coast of Africa for this express use. 
No animal-oils are used in the churches of Brazil : that which sup- 
plies the lamps is made from the olive or from the palm-nut. The 
tapers are manufactured from vegetable and bees' wax. 

Nothing is more imposing than the chief altar of the Candellaria 
Church, when illuminated by a thousand perfumed tapers, which 
shed their light amid vases of the most gorgeous flowers. Dr. 
Walsh states that on a certain occasion he counted in the chapel of 
S. Antonio eight hundred and thirty large wax flambeaux burning 
at once, and the same night, in that of the Terceira do Carmo, 
seven hundred and sixty; so that, in consideration of the number 
of chapels from time to time illuminated in a similar way, his 
estimate hardly appears extravagant. 

Sometimes, on the occasion of these festivals, a stage is erected 
in the church, or in the open air near by, and a species of dramatic 
representation is enacted for the amusement of the spectators. At 
other times an auction is held, at which a great variety of objects, 
that have been provided for the occasion by purchase or gift, are 
sold to the highest bidder. The auctioneer generally manages to 
keep the crowd around him in a roar of laughter, and, it is 
presumed, gets paid in proportion to the interest of his entertain- 
ment. 

Epiphany is celebrated in January, and is styled the day of 
kings. The occurrence of this holiday is not likely to escape the 
mind of the most indifferent, for in the morning your butcher 
kindly sends your beef gratis. The festa on that day is in the 
Imperial Chapel, the Emperor and Court being in attendance to 
give it a truly royal character. The 20th of January is St. Sebas- 
tian's day, on which it is customary to honor the "glorious 
patriarch" under whose protection the Indians and the French 
were routed, and the foundations of the city laid. The members 
of the municipal chamber, or city fathers, take especial interest in 
this celebration, and by virtue of their office have the privilege of 
carrying the image of the saint in procession from the Imperial 
Chapel to the old Cathedral. 

The Intrudo, answering to the Carnival in Italy, extends through 
the three days preceding Lent, and is generally entered upon by 



The Intrudo. 



149 



the people with an apparent determination to redeem time for 
amusement in advance of the long restraint anticipated. 

The Intrudo, however, is no more celebrated as it was when I 
first went to Eio. It was then a saturnalia of the most liquid 
character, and every one, — men, women, and children, — gave them- 
selves up to it with an abandon most strongly in contrast with 
their usual apparent stiffness and inactivity. Before it was sup- 
pressed by the police it was a marked event. It was not with 
showers of sugar-plums that persons were saluted on the days of 
the Intrudo, but with showers of oranges and eggs, or rather of 
waxen balls made in the shape of oranges and eggs, but filled with 
water. These articles were prepared in immense quantities 
beforehand, and exposed for sale in the shops and streets. The 
shell was of sufficient strength to admit of being hurled a consi- 
derable distance, but at the moment of collision it broke to pieces, 
bespattering whatever it hit. Unlike the somewhat similar sport 
of snowballing in cold countries, this jogo was not confined to 
boys or to the streets, but was played in high life as well as in low, 
in-doors and out. Common consent seemed to have given the 
license of pelting any one and every one at pleasure, whether 
entering a house to visit or walking in the streets. 

In fact, whoever went out at all on these days expected a duck- 
ing, and found it well to carry an umbrella; for in the enthusiasm 
of the game the waxen balls were frequently soon consumed : then 
came into play syringes, basins, bowls, and sometimes pails of 
water, which were plied without mercy until the parties were 
thoroughly drenched. 

Men and women perched themselves along the balconies and 
windows, from which they not only threw at each other, but also 
at the passers-by. So great indeed were the excesses which grew 
out of this sport that it was prohibited by law. The magis- 
trates of the different districts formally declared against the 
Intrudo from year to year, with but little effect until 1854, when a 
new chef de police with great energy put a stop to the violent 
Intrudo and its peltings and duckings. It is now conducted in a 
dry but humorous manner, more in the style of Paris and Eome. 
The origin of the Intrudo was for a long time considered to have 
some remote connection with baptism ; but Mr. Ewbank has been 



150 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



the first to trace clearly its beginning, and in a very interesting 
archaeological article follows it up to India, that storehouse of 
many of the practices of the Latin Church. 

The procession on Ash-Wednesday is conducted by the third 
order of Franciscans from the Chapel of the Misericordia, through 
the principal streets of the city, to the Convent of S.Antonio. 
Kot less than from twenty to thirty stands of images are borne 
along on the shoulders of men. Some of these images are single; 
others are in groups, intended to illustrate various events of scrip- 
tural history or Boman Catholic mythology. The dress and orna- 
ments of these effigies are of the most gaudy kind. The platforms 
upon which they are placed are quite heavy, requiring four, six, 
and eight men to carry them; nor can all these endure the burden 
for a long time. They require to be alternated by as many others, 
who walk by their side like extra pall-bearers at a funeral. The 
streets are thronged with thousands of people, among whom are 
numbers of slaves, who seem highly amused to see their masters 
for once engaged in hard labor. The senhors indeed toil under 
their loads. The images pass into the middle of the street, with 
single files of men on either side, each one bearing a lighted torch 
or wax candle several feet in length. Before each group of images 
marches an angel (anjinho) led by a priest, scattering rose-leaves 
and flowers upon the path. 

As the reader may be anxious to know what kind of angels take 
part in these spectacles, I must explain that they are a class created 
for the occasion, to act as tutelary to the saints exhibited. Little 
girls, from eight to ten years old, are generally chosen to serve in 
this capacity, for which they are fitted out by a most fantastic 
dress. Its leading design seems to be to exhibit a body and wings ; 
wherefore the skirt and sleeves are expanded to enormous dimen- 
sions, by means of hoops and cane framework, over which flaunt 
silks, gauzes, ribbons, laces, tinsels, and plumes of diverse colors. 
On their head is placed a species of tiara. Their hair hangs in 
ringlets down their faces and necks, and the triumphal air with 
which they march along shows that they fully comprehend the 
honor they enjoy of being the principal objects of admiration. 

Military companies and bands of martial music lead and close 
up the procession. Its march is measured and slow, with frequent 



The Anjinho. 



151 



pauses, as well to give the burdened brethren time to breathe, 
as to give the people in the streets and windows opportunity to 
gaze and wonder. Few 
seem to look on with any 
very elevated emotions. 
All could see the same 
or kindred images in 
the churches when they 
please; and, if the design 
is to edify the people, a 
less troublesome and at 
the same time more effec- 
tual mode might easily be 
adopted. There appears 
but little solemnity con- 
nected with the scene, 
and most of that is shared 
by the poor brethren who 
tug and sweat under 
the platforms : even they 
occasionally endeavor to 
enliven each other's spirits 
by entering into conversa- 
tion and pleasantry when 
relieved by their alter- 
nates. 

When the Host is carried out on these and other occasions, but a 
small proportion of the people are seen to kneel as it passes, and 
no compulsion is used when any are disinclined to manifest that 
degree of reverence.* 




THE AN J I N H 0. 



* In 1852 John Candler and Wilson Burgess, two philanthropic Englishmen 
belonging to the Society of Friends, went to Brazil for the purpose of presenting 
to the Emperor "an address on slavery and the slave-trade." Their singular cos- 
tume attracted much notice in the streets ; " and on one occasion," they say in their 
narrative, "as we were walking in the Rua Direita, a Brazilian gentleman accosted 
us in imperfect English, informing us that he had been in England, and knew the 
Quakers. 'They [the Brazilians] ask me,' he continued, 'who you are; I tell 
them Friends, — very good people.' Finding him disposed to be familiar, we told 



152 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



~No class enter into the spirit of these holiday parades with more 
zeal than the people of color. They are, moreover, specially 
complimented from time to time by the appearance of a colored 
saint, or of Nossa Senhora under an ebony skin. "La vem o men 
•parente" (There comes my kindred,) was the exclamation heard 
by Dr. Kidder from an old negro, as a colored effigy, with woolly 
hair and thick lips, came in sight ; and in the overflow of his joy 
the old man had expressed the precise sentiment that is addressed 
by such appeals to the senses and feelings of the Africans. 

Palm Sunday in Brazil is celebrated with a taste and effect that 
cannot be surpassed by any artificial ornaments. The Brazilians 
are never indifferent to the vegetable beauties by which they are 
surrounded, since they make use of leaves, flowers, and branches 
of trees on almost every public occasion ; but on this anniversaiy 
the display of the real palm-branches is not only beautiful, but 
often grand. 

Holy Week, by which Lent is terminated, is chiefly devoted to 
religious services designed to commemorate the history of our 
Lord; but so modified by traditions, and mystified by the excess of 
ceremonies, that few, by means of these, can form any proper 
idea of what really took place before the crucifixion of Christ. 
The days are designed in the calendar as Wednesday of darkness, 
Thursday of anguish, Friday of passion, and Hallelujah Saturday. 

Maunday Thursday, as the English render it, is kept from the 
noon of that day till the following noon. The ringing of bells and 
the explosion of rockets are now suspended. The light of day is 
excluded from all the churches; the temples are illuminated within 



him we were seeking the National Library. ' I will go with you,' he said. Taking 
us by the arm, he took us by a narrow payed court-way which we had just avoided. 
A Roman Catholic church, in which high mass was pei'forming, opened by its 
principal entrance into the court, and a number of persons stood bareheaded before 
the doors. We requested him not to take us that way, as we could not take off 
our hats in honor of the service, and we desired not to give offence. ' Never mind,' 
was his rejoinder; 'leave that to me.' On coming to the people he took off his 
own hat, and as we passed through them he said, ' These are my friends ; you 
must give dispensation;' and we were suffered to go on without molestation. Such 
dispensation is not permitted in Portugal." — Narrative of a recent visit to Brazil by 
John Candler and Wilson Burgess. London, 1853: Edward Marsh 



An Imposing Procession. 



153 



by wax tapers, in the midst of which, on the chief altars, the Host 
is exposed. Two men stand in robes of red or purple silk to watch 
it. In some churches the effigy of the body of Christ is laid under 
a small cloister, with one hand exposed, which the crowd kiss, 
depositing money on a silver dish beside it at the same time. At 
night the people promenade the streets and visit the churches. 
This is also an occasion for a general interchange of presents, and 
is turned greatly to the benefit of the female slaves, who are 
allowed to prepare and sell confectionery for their own emolument. 

Friday continues silent, and a funeral-procession, bearing a repre- 
sentation of the body of Christ, is borne through the streets. At 
night occurs a sermon, and another procession, in which anjinhos, 
decked out as has already been described, bear emblematic devices 
alluding to the crucifixion. One carries the nails, another the ham- 
mer, a third the sponge, a fourth the spear, a fifth the ladder, and 
a sixth the cock that gave the warning to Peter. Never are the 
balconies more crowded than on this occasion. There is an interest 
to behold one's own children performing a part, which draws out 
hundreds of families who otherwise might remain at home. There 
is no procession more beautiful and imposing than this. As I gazed 
at the long line of the gown-clad men, bearing in one hand an im- 
mense torch, and leading by the other a brightly-decked anjinho, — 
as from time to time I saw the images of those who were active or 
silent spectators of that sad scene which was presented on Calvary 
eighteen hundred years ago, — as I beheld the soldiers, helmet in 
hand and their arms reversed, marching with slow and measured 
tread, — as I heard the solemn chant issuing from the voice of child- 
hood, or as the majestic minor strains of the marche funebre wailed 
upon the night-air, — the aesthetic feelings were powerfully moved. 
But when a halt occurred, and I witnessed the levity and the utter 
indifference of the actors, the effect on myself vanished, and I 
could at once see that the intended effect upon the multitudes in 
the street and in the neighboring balconies was entirely lost.* 



* In Brazil, all veneration is taken away by the familiarity of the most sacred 
things of our holy religion. At Bahia I learned, through a number of Roman Ca- 
tholic gentlemen, of an occurrence which took place in 1855, in the province of 
Sergipe del Rey. It was at a festival, and there was to be a powerful sermon 



154 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Hallelujah Saturday is better known as " Judas's day/' on account 
of the numerous forms in which that " inglorious patriarch" is 
made to suffer the vengeance of the people. Preparations having 
been made beforehand, rockets are fired in front of the churches at 
a particular stage of the morning service. This explosion indicates 
that the hallelujah is being chanted. The sport now begins forth- 
with in every part of the town. The effigies of poor Judas become 
the objects of all species of torment. They are hung, strangled, and 
drowned. In short, the traitor is shown up in fireworks and fan- 
tastic figures of every description, in company with dragons, 
serpents, and the devil and his imps, which pounce upon him. 




KILLING JUDAS. 



Besides the more formal and expensive preparations that are 
made for this celebration by public subscription, the boys and the 
negroes have their Judases, whom they do feloniously and mali- 

preached on the crucifixion. A civilized Indian, by the promise of muito cachaga, 
(plenty of rum,) consented to personify our Saviour on the cross. His position 
was a trying one, and at the foot of the crucifix stood a bucket filled with rum, 
in which was a sponge attached to a long reed. The individual whose duty it 
was to refresh the caboclo forgot his office while carried away by the florid elo- 
quence of the Padre. The Indian, however, did not forget his contract, and, to the 
astonishment as well as amusement of the audience, shouted out, u O Senhor Judeio, 
Senhor Judeio, mais fell" (0 Mr. Jew, Mister Jew, a little more gall!) 



Collections and Collectors. 



155 



eiously drag about with ropes, hang, beat ; punch, stone, burn, and 
drown, to their hearts' content. 

Lent being over, Easter Sunday is ushered in by the quick and 
joyous strains of music from fine bands or large orchestras; by 
illuminating the churches with unwonted splendor; and by the 
triumphal discharge of rockets in the air, and of artillery from the 
forts and batteries. 

On Whitsunday the great feast of the Holy Spirit is celebrated. 
In preparation for this, begging-processions go through the streets, 
a long while in advance, in order to secure funds. In these expedi- 
tions the collectors wear a red scarf (capo) over their shoulders : 
they make quite a display of flags, on which forms of a dove are 
embroidered, surrounded by a halo or gloria. These are handed in 
at windows and doors, and waved to individuals to kiss : they are 
followed by the silver plate 
or silk bag, which receives 
the donation that is ex- 
pected from all those, at 
least, who kiss the emblem. 
The public are duly no- 
tified of the approach of 
these august personages 
by the music of a band of 
tatterdemalion negroes, or 
by the songs and tambour- 
ine accompaniments of 
sprightly boys who some- 
times carry the banner. 

Collections of this stamp 
are very frequent in the 
cities of Brazil, inasmuch 
as some festa is always in 
anticipation. Generally a 
miniature image of the 
saint whose honor is con- 
templated is handed around 
with much formality, as the great argument in favor of a donation. 
The devotees hasten to kiss the image, and sometimes call up their 




COLLECTORS FOR CHURCH FESTIVALS. 



156 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



children and pass it round to the lips of each. These collectors, 
and a class of females called beatas, at times become as troublesome 
as were the common beggars before they were accommodated at 
the House of Correction. Occasionally but one or two of these indi- 
viduals go around, crying out, with a most nasal twang, in the street 
and at every corner, " Esmolas [alms] para nossa Senhora" of this 
or that church. 

On the preceding page we behold a pair of these semi-ecclesi- 
astic gentlemen-beggars who may be seen returning along the Praia 
da Santa Luzia after one of their collecting-excursions. 

The expeditions for Espirito Santo assume a very peculiar and 
grotesque character in remote sections of the Empire. The late 
Senator Cunha Mattos describes them, in the interior, under the 
name of fulides cavalgatas. He mentions in his Itinerario having 
met one between the rivers of S. Francisco and Paranahiba, com- 
posed of fifty persons, playing on violins, drums, and other instru- 
ments of music, to arouse the liberality if not the devotion of the 
people; and also prepared with leathern sacks and mules, to re- 
ceive and carry off pigs, hens, and whatever else might be given 
them. 

Among the Indians in the distant interior, the live animals are 
frequently promised beforehand to some particular saint; and often, 
when a traveller wishes to buy some provisions, he is assured, " That 
is St. John's pig;" or, "Those fowls belong to the Holy Ghost/' 

The procession of Corpus Christi is. different from most of the 
others. The only image exposed is that of St. George, who is set 
down in the calendar as the " defender of the Empire." How this 
"godly gentleman of Cappadocia" became the defender of Brazil 
I have not been able to ascertain; but his festival — falling as it 
does on Corpus Christi day — is celebrated with great pomp. It is 
a daylight affair, and occurs in the pleasantest season of the year. 
St. George is always carried around the city on horseback. He is 
ruddy and of a fair countenance, with a flowing wig of flaxen curls 
floating on his shoulders. He flourishes in armour and a red velvet 
mantle. For the day some devout person of his name lends the 
saint his jewels; but when the festival is over he is stripped of his 
glories and put away for the moths till the following year. He is 
not remarkable for his horsemanship : his stiff legs stick out on 



Santa Pmscilliana. 



157 



each side, and two men hold him to the saddle. If his prototype 
had been no better equestrian, the dragon would have been un- 
killed to the present day. 

The Emperor walks bareheaded, and carrying a candle, in this 
procession, in imitation of the piety of his ancestors, and is attended 
by the Court, the cavaleiros, or knights of the military orders, and 
the municipal chamber in full dress, with their insignia and badges 
of office. Whenever the Emperor goes out on these occasions, the 
inhabitants of the streets through which he is to pass rival each 
other in the display of rich silk and damask hangings from the 
windows and balustrades of their houses. 

In 1846, a certain Brazilian had the distinguished honor of trans- 
porting from Eome to Eio 
the holy remains of the 
martyr-virgin St. Priscil- 
liana. This was deemed a 
most auspicious acquisition 
for the city by some, but 
by others it was highly 
condemned as an egregious 
humbug. Nevertheless, she 
was inaugurated. In order 
that the bones might not 
appear as repulsive as those 
of the renowned "eleven 
thousand virgins" in the 
Church of St. Ursula at 
Cologne, the frail remains 
of St. Priscilliana were en- 
cased in wax by some clever 
artist at Eome at the time 
her saintship was said to 
have been removed from 
the catacombs where she 
had been buried more than 
a thousand years ! 

St. Priscilliana's likeness was engraved, and the picture was 
" exchanged;" and the above engraving is a fac-simile of the one 




158 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



" exchanged" while I resided in Eio de Janeiro. She is represented 
with a sword stuck unpleasantly through her delicate neck, which 
means, as the Bishop of Bio de Janeiro* hath it, that the Emperor 
Julian the Apostate had her put to death in this manner ! The 
erudite bishop does not give us any of his authorities; but the faithful 
are expected never to entertain the least doubt when a high prelate 
speaks. I know not what miracles she has performed at Bio, for 
very little is heard concerning her at present, and it is certain that 
she did not prevent the yellow fever and cholera from visiting the 
capital of the Empire. It may, however, be asserted, on the other 
hand, that this was not the department of St. Priscilliana; as St. 
Sebastian is supposed to have the city under his especial charge. 

When the cholera visited the coast of Brazil, though not so fatal 
as in Europe and the United States, yet its ravages were somewhat 
extensive among the slaves, who had escaped the yellow fever 
which in former years had attacked the whites. When the cholera 
made its appearance at Bio, the city was in a universal wail 
of terror: charms and amulets were eagerly sought after, and 
superstitious preventives were invented every hour. Prayers of 
saints were worn next to the skin, as they are among the Moham- 
medans of Arabia or the heathen of India. Badly-executed pic- 
tures of St. Sebastian were 11 exchanged" for a few vintems, and a 
star, with a prayer to the Yirgin Mary, called "The miraculous 
Star of Heaven/' was considered a certain safeguard to any person 
who possessed it. Advertisements like the following appeared in 
the daily papers : — 




ORACAO PARA BENZER AS CASAS 

contra a epideinia reinante, ornada de eniblemas religiosos, 
troca-se por 80 rs., na Rua dos Latoeiros n. 59. 




"A Prayer for blessing residences against the reigning epidemic, 
adorned with religious emblems, is exchanged for four cents at 2s o. 
59 Bua dos Latoeiros." 



* Pastoral letter published March, 1846, at Rio de Janeiro. Also Noticia Historica 
da Santa Priscilliana in the Annuario do Brazil for 1846. 



Panic from the Cholera. 



159 



The succeeding announcement, however, must have been from 
some money-making fellow without church-policy in his head, 
or he would have advertised his holy ware as troca-se instead 
of vende-se. 

S8g8888S8888SSg8S8SS88S888SS83g3888Sg38$ 

PALAYRAS SANTISSIMAS 

E 

ARMAS DA ICrRSJA 

contra o terrivel flagello da peste, com a qual se tern appla- 
cado a Divina Justica, como se vio no caso que succedeu no 
real mosteiro de Santa Clara de Coimbra em 1480. Vende-se 
na Rua da Quitanda n. 174. Preco, 320 rs. 

I88S88SSSSS8$2SSS8S88SSSSS88SSS8S8S8S8$ 

[Translation.] "Holy words and arms of the Church against the 
terrible scourge of the pest, with which Divine Justice chastises, 
as seen in the case which succeeded in the royal monastery of St. 
Claire of Coimbra in 1480. To be sold at ~No. 174 Eua da Quitanda. 
Price, 16 cents." 

What Dr. Paulo Candido, Dr. Meirelles, Dr. Sigaud, Dr. Pacheco 
da Silva, and other eminent physicians, thought of such remedies 
we know not; but we believe that both they and many of the 
people of Rio de Janeiro looked upon this religious quackery in the 
right light. Nevertheless, there was, in the general alarm, a great 
summoning of the church militant, and the newspapers of Septem- 
ber, 1855, are full of long-sentenced notices of penitential proces- 
sions. 

Such appeals to the faithful were not in vain. The images were 
removed and carried through the streets; and torchlight-proces- 
sions of immense length — in which marched delicate ladies bare- 
foot — were of frequent occurrence. With all these precautions, the 
pestilence did not cease, though business went on as usual. Common 
sense, however, had not left Eio, notwithstanding the panic which 
prevailed. The secular authorities, urged on by the able editor of 
the principal newspaper of the city, at last forbade all processions, 
as the exposure consequent thereon tended to promote the spread 



160 Brazil and the Brazilians. 



of disease; so the saints had no more promenades by lamplight, 
and the young ladies kept their bare feet at home. 

It is pleasing to contemplate at this crisis the conduct of the 
monarch. The Emperor and his family remained at their palace 
near the city, in order to inspirit the people, although it was the 
usual time of removal to their mountain-residence of Petropolis. 
His Majesty visited the hospitals, and superintended the sanatory 
regulations, besides contributing largely to the fund for the sick 
poor. 

We cannot devote more space to religion in Brazil, — this interest- 
ing but painful subject,— painful to every true Christian and well- 
wisher to his race. If we look at Brazil in the point de vue religieuse, 
we are overwhelmed at the amount of ignorance and superstition 
that prevails. Let any one read Mr. Ewbank's Sketches, and they 
will see, archseologically considered, how close is the relation be- 
tween heathen Rome and Christian Borne. If we grant that this 
corrupt church at one time had the only light and knowledge, 
there is no necessity that we should remain in modified darkness 
or use the glimmer of lamplight when we may have the clear efful- 
gence of the noonday sun. May that light beam upon Brazil! 



CHAPTEE X. 



THE HOME-FEELING — BRAZILIAN HOUSES — THE GIRL — -THE WIFE — THE MOTHER 

MOORISH JEALOUSY — DOMESTIC DUTIES — MILK-CART ON LEGS — BRAZILIAN LADY'S 
DELIGHT — HER TROUBLES — THE MARKETING AND WATERING — KILL THE BIXO — 

BOSTON APPLES AND ICE — FAMILY RECREATIONS — THE BOY THE COLLEGIO 

COMMON-SCHOOLS — HIGHEST ACADEMIES OF LEARNING — THE GENTLEMAN — DUTIES 
OF THE CITIZEN — ELECTIONS — POLITICAL PARTIES — BRAZILIAN STATESMEN — NO- 
BILITY — ORDERS OF KNIGHTHOOD. 

The German, the Englishman, and their descendants, have no 
characteristic more marked than the home-feeling. The fireside- 
circle, with its joys and cares, does not belong to the Gaul or to the 
Italian. The Southern European has much in his delicious climate 
to make him an out-of-door being. The old Roman was one who 
lived in public. His existence seemed to be a portion of the forum, 
the public bath, the circus, and the theatre. " Without books, maga- 
zines, and newspapers, without letters to write, and with a fine 
climate always attracting him into the open air, there was nothing 
to call him home but the requisitions of eating and sleeping. " 
The city of Pompeii probably contained not more than twenty-five 
thousand inhabitants, and only one-sixth of its space has been ex- 
humed. In that small district there have been found public edifices 
merely for theatrical entertainment, which will seat seventeen 
thousand spectators. Most of the nations descended from the Ro- 
mans are, like them, without the endearing associations connected 
with the word home. There is, however, an important exception 
to this rule in the case of the Portuguese nation, which in every 
other respect is more Roman than any living people. The home 
and the family exist; and doubtless the Lusitanians owe this to the 
Moors, who engrafted upon the Latin stock something of Oriental 
exclusiveness. The Portuguese and their American descendants 
to this day watch with a jealous eye their private abodes, and, 

spending many of their hours within those precincts which are 

11 161 



162 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



their castles, the home-attachments and family associations have 
been cherished and perpetuated. 

I propose in this chapter to consider the residence and the family, 
— to trace the education of the children to that age when they go 
forth to occupy the position of adult years. 

The city-home is not an attractive place; for the carriage-house 
and stable are upon the first floor, while the parlor, the alcoves, and 

the kitchen are in the second 
story. Not unfrequently a small 
area or court-yard occupies the 
space between the coach-house 
and the stable, and this space 
separates, on the second floor, the 
kitchen from the dining-room. 

The engraving represents one 
of the older city-residences at 
Eio. The access to the staircase 
is through the great door whence 
the carriage thunders out on 
festas and holidays. At night it 
is shut by iron bars of prison-like 
dimensions. Every lock, bolt, 
or mechanical contrivance seem 
as if they might have come from 
the Pompeiian department of the Museo Borbonico at Xaples. The 
walls, composed of broken bits of stone cemented by common mortar, 
are as thick as those of a fortress. 

In the daytime you enter the great door and stand at Hhe 
bottom of the staircase; but neither knocker nor bell announce 
your presence. You clap your hands rapidly together; and, 
unless the family is of the highest class, you are sure to be saluted 
by a slave from the top of the stairs with "Quern e?" (Who is 
there ?) If you should behold your friends in the balcony, you not 
only, if intimate, salute by removing the hat, but move quickly 
the fingers of your hand, as if you were beckoning to some one. 

The furniture of the parlor varies in costliness according to the 
degree of style maintained ; but what you may always expect to 
find is a cane-bottomed sofa at one extremity and three or four 




DWELLING-HOUSE. 



Ladies and Music. 163 

chairs arranged in precise parallel rows, extending from each end 
of it toward the middle of the room. In company the ladies are 
expected to occupy the sofa and the gentlemen the chairs. 

The town-residences in the old city always seemed to me gloomy 
beyond description. But the same cannot be said of the new 
houses, and of the lovely suburban villas, with their surroundings 
of embowering foliage, profusion of flowers, and overhanging 
fruits. Some portions of the Santa Theresa, Larangeiras, Bota- 
fogo, Catumby, Engenho Velho, Praia Grande, and San Domingo, 
cannot be surpassed for their beautiful and picturesque houses in 
the Brazilian style. 

There are various classes of society in Brazil as well as else- 
where, and the description of one would not hold good for another; 
but, having sketched the house, I shall next endeavor to trace the 
inmates from infancy to adult life. 

The Brazilian mother almost invariably gives her infant to a 
black to be nursed. As soon as the children become too trouble- 
some for the comfort of the senhora, they are despatched to school; 
and woe betide the poor teachers who have to break in those viva- 
cious specimens of humanity ! Accustomed to control their black 
nurses, and to unlimited indulgence from their parents, they set 
their minds to work to contrive every method of baffling the 
efforts made to reduce them to order. This does not arise from 
malice, but from want of parental discipline. They are affectionate 
and placable, though impatient and passionate, — full of intelligence, 
though extremely idle and incapable of prolonged attention. They 
readily catch a smattering of knowledge : French and Italian are 
easy to them, as cognate tongues with their own. Music, sing- 
ing, and dancing suit their volatile temperaments; and I have 
rarely heard better amateur Italian singing than in Bio de Janeiro 
and Bahia. Pianos abound in every street, and both sexes become 
adept performers. The opera is maintained by the Government, 
as it is in Europe, and the first musicians go to Brazil. Thalberg 
triumphed at Bio de Janeiro before he came to Xew York. The 
manners and address of Brazilian ladies are good, and their carriage 
is graceful. It is true that they have no fund of varied knowledge 
to make a conversation agreeable and instructive; but they chatter 
nothings in a pleasant way, always excepting a rather high tone 



I 



164 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

of voice, which I suppose comes from frequent commands given to 
Congo or Mozambique. Their literary stores consist mostly of the 
novels of Balzac, Eugene Sue, Dumas pere et ftls, George Sand, the 
gossipping pacotilhas and the folhetim of the newspapers. Thus 
they fit themselves to become wives and mothers. 

Dr. P. da S , a gentleman who takes a deep interest in all 

matters of education, and whose ideas are practically and success- 
fully applied to his own children, who possess solid acquirements 
as well as graceful accomplishments, once said to me, "I desire with 
all my heart to see the day when our schools for girls will be of 
such a character that a Brazilian daughter can be prepared, by her 
moral and intellectual training, to become a worthy mother, capable 
of teaching her own children the elements of education and the 
duties which they owe to God and man : to this end, sir, I am 
toiling/' Such schools are increasing, and some "are very excel- 
lent ; but, in eight cases out of ten, the Brazilian father thinks that 
he has done his duty when he has sent his daughter for a few years 
to a fashionable school kept by some foreigner : at thirteen or four- 
teen he withdraws her, believing that her education is finished. 
If wealthy, she is already arranged for life, and in a little time the 
father presents to his daughter some friend of his own, with the 
soothing remark, "Minha filha, this is your future husband." A 
view of diamonds, laces, and carriages dazzles her mental vision, 
she stifles the small portion of heart that may be left her, and 
quietly acquiesces in her father's arrangement, probably consoling 
herself with the reflection that it will not be requisite to give her 
undivided affections to the affianced companion, — that near resem- 
blance of her grandfather. Now the parents are at ease. The 
care of watching that ambitious young lady devolves on her hus- 
band, and thenceforth he alone is responsible. He, poor man, 
having a just sense of his own unfitness for such a task, places 
some antique relative as a duenna to the young bride, and then 
goes to his counting-house in happy security. At night he returns 
and takes her to the opera, there to exhibit the prize that his contos* 



* A conto of rets is one thousand milreis, — equal to five hundred dollars. The 
Brazilian never reckons a man's wealth by saying, " He is worth so many thousand 
milreis;''' but, " He has so many contos." 



The Wife and Mother. 



165 



have gained, and to receive the congratulations of his friends on 
the lovely young wife that he has bought. ""lis an old tale;" 
and Brazil has not a monopoly of such marriages. 

Then the same round of errors recommences : her children feel 
the effects of the very system that has rendered the mother a 
frivolous and outward being. She sallies forth on Sundays and 
festas, arm-in-arm with her husband or brother, the children pre- 
ceding, according to their age, all dressed in black silk, with neck 
and arms generally bare, or at most a light scarf or cape thrown 
over them, their luxuriant hair beautifully arranged and orna- 




GOING TO MASS. 



mented, and sometimes covered with a black lace veil : prayer- 
book in hand, they thus proceed to church. Mass being duly gone 
through and a contribution dropped into the poor-box, they return * 
home in the same order as before. 

It is often matter of surprise to Northerners how the Brazilian 
ladies can support the rays of that unclouded sun. Europeans 
glide along under the shade of bonnets and umbrellas j but these 
church-going groups pass on without appearing to suffer, seldom 
using even a small parasol. 

You remark, in these black-robed, small-waisted young ladies, a 
contrast to the ample dame who follows them. A Brazilian matron 



166 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



generally waxes wondrously broad in a few years, — probably owing 
to the absence of out-door exercise, of which the national habits 
deprive her. It cannot be attributed to any want of temperance ; 
for we must always remember that Brazilian ladies rarely take 
wine or any stimulant. On " state occasions," when healths are 
drunk, they only touch it for form's sake. During many years of 
residence, I cannot recall a single instance of a lady being even 
suspected of such a vice, which, in their eyes, is the most horrible 
reproach that can be cast upon the character. ~Esta bebido, (He is 
drunk,) — pronounced in the high and almost scolding pitch of a 
Brazilian woman, — is one of the severest and most withering re- 
proaches. In some parts of the country the expression for a dram 
is um baieta Inglez, (an English overcoat;) and the term for an in- 
toxicated fellow, in the northern provinces, is Elle estd bem Inglez, 
(He is very English.) The contrast between the general sobriety of 
all classes of Brazilians and the steady drinking of some foreigners 
and the regular " blow-out" of others is painful in the extreme. 

Wives in Brazil do not suffer from drunken husbands ; but many 
of the old Moorish prejudices make them the objects of much 
jealousy. There is, however, an advance in this respect; and, far 
more frequently than formerly, women are seen out of the church, 
the ballroom, and the theatre. 

Nevertheless, — owing to the prevailing opinion that ladies ought 
not to appear in the streets unless under the protection of a male 
relative, — the lives of the Brazilian women are dull and mono- 
tonous to a degree that would render melancholy a European or 
an American lady. 

At early dawn all the household is astir, and the principal work 
is performed before nine o'clock. Then the ladies betake them- 
• selves to the balconies for a few hours, to " loll about generally," 
to gossip with their neighbors, and to look out for the milkman 
and for the quitandeiras. The former brings the milk in a cart 
of novel construction to the foreigner, — or at least he has never 
seen such a vehicle used for this purpose before going to Brazil. 
The cow is the milk-cart ! Before the sun has looked over the 
mountains, the vacca, accompanied by her calf, is led from door to 
door by a Portuguese peasant. A little tinkling bell announces 
her presence. A slave descends with a bottle and receives an 



The Milk-Cart and Quitandeira. 



167 



allotted portion of the refreshing fluid, for which he pays about 
sixpence English. One would suppose that all adulteration is thus 
avoided. The inimitable 
Punch says, if in the hu- 
man world the " child is j 
father to the man/' in the -- , I m\ i 



Corcovado and has gurgled 
down the aqueduct and 

through the fountain at the corner of the street. 

The quitandeiras are the venders of vegetables, oranges, guavas, 
maracujas, (fruits of the " passion-flower/') mangoes, doces, sugar- 
cane, toys, &c. They shout out their stock in a lusty voice, and 
the different cries that attract attention remind one of those of 
Dublin or Edinburgh. The same nasal tone and high key may be 
noticed in all. Children are charmed when their favorite old black 
tramps down the street with toys or doces. Here she comes, with 
her little African tied to her back and her tray on her head. 
She sings, — 



London world the pump is 
father to the cow, — judg- 
ing from the results, (i.e. 
the milk sold in that vast 
metropolis.) Alas ! man- 
kind is the same in Brazil 
that it is in London. Milk 
may be obtained pure from 
the cow if you stand in 
the balcony and watch the 
operation; otherwise your 
bottle is filled from the tin 
can carried by the Opor- 
toense, and which can has 
oftentimes a due propor- 
tion of the water that 
started from the top of 




THE QUITANDEIRA. 



" Cry meninas, cry meninos, 
Papa has money in plenty, 
Come buy, ninha, ninha, come buy!" — 



168 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



and, complying with the invitation, down run the little meninos 
and meninas to buy doces doubly sugared, to the evident destruction 
of their gastric juices and teeth. Be it remarked, en passant, that 
no profession has more patronage in Bio than that of dentistry. 

At length there appears at the head of the street that charm of 
a Brazilian lady's day, — the pedlar of silks and muslins. He an- 
nounces his approach by the click of his cava do, (measuring-stick,) 
and is followed by one or more blacks bearing tin cases on their 

heads. He walks up-stairs 
sure of a welcome ; for, if 
they need nothing of his 
wares, the ladies have 
need of the amusement of 
looking them over. The 
negroes deposit the boxes 
on the floor and retire. 
Then the skilful Italian or 
Bortuguese displays one 
thing after another; and 
he manages very badly if 
he cannot prevail on the 
economical lady to become 
the possessor of at least 
one cheap bargain. As to 
payment, there is no 
need of haste: he will 
call again next week, or 
take it by instalments, — 
just as the senhora finds 
best ; only he should like 
senhora to have that dress, 
— it suits her complexion so well; he thought of the senhora as 
soon as he saw it; and the price, — a mere nada. Then, too, he 
has a box of lace, some just made, — a new pattern for the ends 
of towels, — insertion for pillow-cases, and trimmings for under- 
garments. 

Some families have negresses who are taught to manufacture 
this lace, — the thread for which is brought from Portugal, — and 




THE BRAZILIAN LADY'S DELIGHT. 



The Housekeeper's Troubles. 



169 



their fair owners make considerable profit by exchanging the pro- 
ducts of their lace-cushions for articles of clothing. One kind of 
needlework in which they excel is called crivo. It is made by 
drawing out the threads of fine linen and darning in a pattern. 
The towels that are presented to guests after dinner are of the 
most elaborate workmanship, consisting of a broad band of crivo 
finished by a trimming of wide Brazilian thread-lace. 

These Italian and Portuguese pedlars sell the most expensive 
and beautiful articles. A Brazilian lady's wardrobe is almost 
wholly purchased at home. Even if she do not buy from the 
moscato, she despatches a black to the Eua do Ouvidor or Eua 
da Quitanda, and orders an assortment to be sent up, from which 
she selects what is needed. The more modern ladies begin to wear 
bonnets, but these are always removed in church. Almost every 
lady makes her own dresses, or, at least, cuts them out and 
arranges them for the slaves to sew, with the last patterns from 
Paris near her. She sits in the midst of a circle of negresses, for 
she well knows that " as the eye of the master maketh the horse 
fat," so the eye of the mistress maketh the needle to move. She 
answers to the description of the good woman in the last chapter 
of Proverbs : — " She riseth up while it is yet night, and giveth a 
portion to her maidens; she maketh fine linen [crivo and lace] and 
selleth it;" and, though her hands do not exactly lay hold on the 
spindle and distaff, yet " she looketh well to the ways of her house- 
hold, and eateth not the bread of idleness," always excepting that 
taken on the balcony. 

"We may infer that the habits of servants were the same in Solo- 
mon's time as in Brazil at the present day, judging by the amount 
of trouble they have always given their mistresses. A lady of 
high rank in Brazil declared that she had entirely lost her health 
in the interesting occupation of scolding negresses, of whom she 
possessed some scores, and knew not what occupation to give them 
in order to keep them out of mischief. A lady of noble family 
one day asked a friend of mine if she knew any one who desired 
to give out washing, as she (the senhora) had nine lazy servants at 
home for whom there was no employment. She piteously told her 
story, saying, " We make it a principle not to sell our slaves, and 
they are the torment of my life, for I cannot find enough work to 



170 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



keep them out of idleness and mischief." Another, a marchioness, 
said that her blacks "would be the death of her." 

Slavery in Brazil, setting aside any moral consideration of the 
question, is the same which we find the " world over," — viz. : It is 
an expensive institution, and is, in every way, very poor economy. 
When I have looked upon the careless, listless work of the bond- 
man, and have watched the weariness of flesh to the owner, I have 
sometimes thought the latter was most to be pitied. Any cruelty 
that may be inflicted upon the blacks by the whites is amply 
avenged by the vices introduced in families, and the troublesome 
anxiety given to masters. 

One of the trials of a Brazilian lady's life is the surveillance of 
the slaves who are sent into the streets for the purpose of market- 
ing and carrying water. 

The markets in Bio are abundantly supplied with all kinds of 
fish and vegetables. Of the former there are many delicate species 
unknown in the North. Large prices are given for the finer kinds. 
One called the garopa is much sought for as a piece de resistance for 
the supper-table on a ball-night. Fifty milreis (about twenty-five 
cents) are given on such occasions. A fish is always the sign of a 
casa de pasto, or common restaurant, at Kio. 

The market near the Palace Square is a pleasant sight in the 
cool of the morning. Fresh bouquets shed a fragrance around, and 
the green vegetables and bright fruits contrast well with the dark 
faces of the stately Mina negresses who sell them. " What is the 
price of this?" "What will the senhor give?" is the common 
reply; and woe betide the first efforts of a poor innocent ship's- 
steward in his early attempts at negotiation with these queenly 
damsels, whose air seems to indicate that with them to sell or not 
to sell is equally indifferent and beneath their notice. 

The indigenous fruits of the country are exceedingly rich and 
various. Besides oranges, limes, cocoanuts, and pineapples, which 
are well known among us, there are mangoes, bananas, fruitas da 
conda, maracuja, pomegranates, mammoons, goyabas, jambos, 
aracas, cambocas, cajus, cajas, mangabas, and many other species 
whose names are Hebrew to Northern ears, but which quickly 
convey to a Brazilian the idea of rich, refreshing, and delicate 
fruits, each of which has a peculiar and a delicious flavor. 



Marketing. 



171 



With such a variety to supply whatever is to be desired, in view 
of either the necessaries or luxuries of life, none need complain. 
These articles are found in profusion in the markets, and also 
hawked about through the town and suburbs by slaves and free 
negroes, who generally carry them in baskets upon the head. 
Persons who wish to purchase have only to call them by a sup- 
pressed whistle, (something like pronouncing imperfectly the word 
tissue,) which they universally understand as an invitation to walk 
in and display their stock. 




THE EDIBLE PALM, (EUTERPE EOULIS.) 



In an outer circle of the market mentioned you find small shops 
filled with birds and animals. Here gay macaws and screaming 
parrots keep up a perpetual concert with chattering apes and 
diminutive monkeys. At a little distance outside are huge piles of 
oranges, panniers of other fruits ready to be sold to the retailer and 
the quitandeiras, wicker-baskets filled with chickens and bundles of 



172 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

palmito for cooking.- It makes one sad to think that the procuring 
of these palmito-sticks has destroyed a graceful palm, {Euterpe 
edulisj) but what is there that we are not ready to sacrifice to 
that Maelstrom, the stomach? One of those beautiful trees 1 
sketched at Constancia, fifty miles from Eio. It was not straight, 
as we usually find it, but gracefully curved ; and, as it lifted its 
slender form and tufted summit above the tropic forest, it presented 
a picture of such uncommon loveliness, that day after day I visited 
the spot to drink my fill of beauty. 

Here comes the black cook, Jose, or Caesar, basket on arm, 
counting with his fingers, and bent on beating down to the lowest 

price the white-teethed 
Ethiopian who pre- 
sides, in order that he 
may have a few vin- 
tems, filched from his 
master, to spend, as he 
returns home, in the 
purchase of a little 
cachaga, "para matar 
o bixo," (" to kill the 
beast/') What this 
much-feared animal is 
has never been ascer- 
tained; but certainly, 
judging from the pro- 
tracted effort that is 
required to kill him, he 
must be possessed of 
remarkable tenacity of 
life, — a sort of phoenix 
among animals ! The 
fish, vegetables, fruit, 
and indispensable chickens, being purchased to his satisfaction, he 
next goes to the street appropriated to the butchers. Here he buys 
some beef, lean but not ill-flavored, an apology for mutton easily 
mistaken for patriarchal goat, or a soft, pulpy substance, considered 
a great delicacy, (appropriately termed, by the Emerald Islanders, 




A BARGAIN. 



Eating and Drinking. 



173 



"staggering Bob/') — the flesh of an unfortunate calf that had 
scarcely time to look at the blue sky ere it was consigned to the 
butcher's knife. Then he proceeds to the venda to purchase the 
little dose for his bixo, and wends home, in high good-humor, to 
prepare breakfast. 

In many families a cup of strong coffee is taken at sunrise, and 
then a substantial meal later in the morning. Dinner is usually 
served about one or two o'clock, — at least where the hours of 
foreigners have not been adopted. Soup is generally presented, 
and afterward meat, fish, and pastry at the same time. Except at 
dinners of ceremony, an excellent dish, much relished by foreigners, 
always finds a place on a Brazilian table. It is compounded of the 
feijao, or black beans of the country, mingled with some came secca 
(jerked beef) and fat pork. Farinha, or man di oca-flour, is sprinkled 
over it, and it is worked into a stiff paste. This farinha is the bread 
for the million, and is the principal food of the blacks throughout 
the country, who would consider it much deteriorated by being eaten 
in any other manner than with the fingers. It is an excellent and 
nutritious diet, and with it they can endure the hardest labor. Coffee 
or mate are often taken after dinner, and the use of tea is becoming 
more common. The "cha national" bids fair to rival that of 
China ; but the mate, though not generally used in the Middle and 
Northern provinces, is considered more wholesome than tea, being 
less exciting to the nerves. Some families have supper frequently 
of fish • but in others nothing substantial is taken after dinner, and 
they retire very early to rest. Eio is as quiet at ten o'clock p.m. 
as European cities at two in the morning. Even the theatre-goers 
make but little noise, as they are generally on foot, — at least if they 
reside in the city. So much do the places of public amusement 
depend on the pedestrians, that if the evening is decidedly rainy 
it is usual to postpone the performance until another night. It 
must be remembered that half an hour's rain transforms the streets 
of Bio into rushing canals, all the drainage being on the surface. 
On a drenching day, the pretos de ganho, or porters, who lounge at 
the corner of every street, make a good harvest by carrying people 
on their backs across these impromptu streams. Sales are often 
announced with this condition : — "The weather permitting." 

One of the greatest delights for the black population of Bio is 



174 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



the necessity of carrying water from the chafariz or public foun- 
tain, or from the water-pipe which is at the corner of almost every 
street. Blackey lazily lounges out with his barril under his arm, 
and happy is Congo if he espies a long queue of his compatriots 
awaiting their turn at the stopcock. Here the news of their little 



for the water, make arrangements with the water-carriers, who 
perambulate the streets with an immense hogshead mounted on 
wheels and drawn by a mule. This vehicle, during a fire, (not a 
frequent occurrence,) is required to supply the fire-engines. These 
men are generally natives of Portugal or the Azores, and seem 
eminently qualified by nature to be hewers of wood and drawers 
of water. They carry the water up-stairs and pour it into large 
earthen jars, which bring to mind the waterpots at the marriage 
of Cana in Galilee. The huge earthen vases are arranged on 
stands in places where there is a current of air, and the liquid 
element in them thus acquires a coolness which, though not equal 




world is told amid bursts 
of Ethiopian laughter ; or 
a small flirtation is car- 
ried on with Bosa or 
Joaquinha from the next 
street; or perhaps there 
is an upbraiding lecture 
administered by some 
jetty damsel from Angola, 
whose voice, to his con- 
sternation, is by no means 
pianissimo. There is an- 
other out-door affair much 
more congenial : i.e. many 
a sly attempt to kill the 
bixo is made at the ad- 



joining venda while the 
water pours into the bar- 
rils of the earlier comers. 



THE ANGOLIAN'S REPROACH. 



Some mistresses, how- 
ever, who find that their 
cooks have always to wait 



Family Recreations. 175 

to the iced water of the United States, possesses a delightful 
frigidity. Ice is in Brazil an expensive luxury, brought solely 
from North America, and not in general use even in Eio, and, of 
course, unknown in the country. Boston apples and ice are both in 
the highest esteem ; but the latter was rejected, as altogether un- 
wholesome, upon its introduction in 1833, and the first cargo was 
a total loss to the adventurers. At the present time both com- 
mand a good price ; and in the month of January the quitandeiras 
may be heard crying out lustily, " Macaas Americanas," (American 
apples,) which they sell for five or six vintems each. 




The Fluminensian lady has occasionally some respite from slave- 
watching and household cares, when the senhor takes her to Petro- 
polis or Tijuca, or perhaps gives her a few weeks of fresh air at 
Constancia or Nova Fribourgo. Such visits are not, however, so 
frequent as one would wish, and the senhora must content herself 
with festas, the opera, and a ball, as a relief from her usual round 
of duties. An evening-party in Eio generally means a ball. Fami- 
liar intercourse with the higher families is difficult of attainment by 
foreigners; but when the stranger is admitted he is received en 
famille, and all ceremony is laid aside. In such home-circles the 
evenings are often spent in music, dancing, and games of romps. 



176 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Here men of highest position are sometimes seen unbending their 
stiff exteriors, and joining heartily in innocent mirth. A game 
called "pilha tres" is a favorite, and is quite as wild and noisy as 
" pussy wants a corner." An American gentleman informed me 
that on one occasion he joined in this play with a Minister of the 
Empire, the Yiscountess, (his wife,) two Senators, an ex-Mitiister- 
plenipotentiary, three foreign Charges d' Affaires, and the ladies 
and children of the family. No one feared any loss of dignity by 
thus laying aside, for the moment, his ordinary gravity, and all 
seemed to enjoy themselves in the highest degree. 

The Brazilians have large families, and it is not an uncommon 
thing to find ten, twelve, or fifteen children to a single mother. I 
saw a gentleman — a planter — in the province of Minas-Geraes, who 
was one of twenty-four children by the same mother. I afterward 
was presented to this worthy matron at Bio de Janeiro. 

I am persuaded that there is much of the home-element among 
the Brazilians. Family fete-days and birthdays are celebrated 
with enthusiasm. Though the standard of general morality is very 
much lower than that of the United States and England, I believe 
it to be above that of France, and there is a home-feeling diffused 
among all classes, which tends to render the Brazilian a more 
order-loving man than the Gaul. With a pure religion his excel- 
lencies would make him infinitely superior to the latter. 

The education of the Brazilian boy is better than that of his 
sister. There is, however, a great deal of superficiality: he is 
made a " little old man" before he is twelve years of age, — having 
his stiff black silk hat, standing collar, and cane; and in the city 
he walks along as if everybody were looking at him, and as if he 
were encased in corsets. He does not run, or jump, or trundle 
hoop, or throw stones, as boys in Europe and North America. At 
an early age he is sent to a collegio, where he soon acquires the 
French language and the ordinary rudiments of education in the 
Portuguese. Though his parents reside in the city, he boards in 
the collegio, and only on certain occasions does he see his father or 
mother. He learns to write a "good hand," which is a universal 
accomplishment among the Brazilians; and most of the boys of the 
higher classes are good musicians, become adepts in the Latin, and 
many of them are taught to speak English with creditable fluency. 



"Professores," Collegios, and Schools. 177 

The examination was formerly a great anniversary, when the little 
fellows were starched up in their stiffest clothes and their minds 
were " crammed" for the occasion. The boys acted their parts, and 
the various professores, in exaltation of their office, read or delivered 
memoriter speeches to the admiring parents; and the whole was 
wound up by some patron of the school crowning with immense 
wreaths the "good boys" who stood highest during the session. 
The collegio then took a vacation of a few weeks, and commenced 
again with its boarders, the "very young gentlemen" students. 
But these things have greatly changed for the better, and many 
collegios are ably conducted. 

The principals of these establishments, when gifted with good 
administrative capacities, reap large sums. One with whom I 
was acquainted had, after a few years' teaching, 20,000$000 (ten 
thousand dollars) placed out at interest. The professores do not 
always reside in the collegio, but teach by the hour for a stipulated 
sum, and are thus enabled to instruct in a number of schools during 
the day. The English language has become such a desideratum at 
Eio, that every collegio has its professor Inglez. 

There has recently been a great improvement in the collegios 
as well as in the public schools. The professores were sum- 
moned, by a commission under the Superintendent of Public 
Instruction, to appear at the Military Academy, and there to be 
examined as to their qualifications for giving instruction. If 
they passed their examination, which was most rigid, they re- 
ceived a license to teach, for which they had to pay a certain 
fee. The principals also were required to undergo an examina- 
tion, if the commission should think it proper; and they were not 
permitted to carry on their collegios without a certificate. The 
educational authorities also asserted their right to visit these pri- 
vate academies at any hour of the day or night, to examine the 
proficiency of the scholars at any time during the term, to investi- 
gate their sleeping-apartments, their food, and whatever apper- 
tained to their mental or physical well-being. This was not a 
mere threat, but schools were actually visited, and some were 
reformed more rapidly than agreeably. The system of "cram- 
ming" was in a measure broken up, and the Empire thus took 
under its control the instruction given in the private as well as in 

12 



178 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



the public aulas. This educational innovation at the capital is 
owing to the energetic measures taken by the Yisconde de Ita- 
boraby, and Dr. Manuel Pacheco da Silva, who is at present the 
President of the first classical institution of Eio de Janeiro, the 
Imperial College of D. Pedro II. The note of reform was sounded; 
every duty connected with teachers or scholars was fully in- 
vestigated, and the revolution was made, notwithstanding the 
complaints of professores who were degraded as incompetent, 
and parents who found their children rigidly examined and only 
promoted in the public schools after, convincing proofs of real 
progress. 

There is a common-school system throughout the Empire, more 
or less modified by provincial legislation. The General Government 
during the years 1854-55 educated 65,413 children: there were 
probably as many more of whom we have no Government report, 
who were educated by private tuition and under provincial 
authority. When, therefore, we consider the number of slaves and 
Indians in Brazil, and also when we reflect that the common-school 
system is in its infancy, it is an encouraging proportion. There 
are great defects in these elementary schools, but each year they 
are improving. There seems to be an inquiry among the educated 
men and the statesmen as to the plan best adapted to the country. 
This inquiry is not always confined to the highest class of citizens. 
Once in the interior I was aroused from my slumbers by a loud 
knocking at the door. I hastily opened it, and saw a respectably- 
dressed Brazilian, who informed me that he was a school-teacher, 
and, learning that an American was in the village and would leave 
that morning, he had made bold to come at this early hour (the 
sun was just peeping over the palm-trees) to ask me if I could 
either give him an account of the American system of teaching, or 
could send him documents on that subject. In the same place 
another teacher spoke to me of Horace Mann's reports on the com- 
mon schools of Massachusetts ! 

Great ignorance prevails in a large portion of the population, and, 
though many years may elapse before a tolerable degree of know- 
ledge will be properly diffused, yet the beginning has been made, 
and the French proverb is true in this as in other things, "Ce n'est 
que le premier pas qui coute." (It is only the first step that costs.) 



Collegio of Pedro II. 



1T9 



In the city of Bio, instruction can be divided into the following 
classes : — the primary, the secondary, (instrugao secundaria,) and 
the private schools, (collegios.) The College of Pedro II., the 
Military and Naval Academies, the Medical College, and the 
Theological Seminary of St. Joseph, are also under the direction 
of the State. In the private schools are nearly five thousand 
scholars. 

Through some one of these establisnments the juvenile Brazilian 
ascends the hill of knowledge. An institution already referred to, 
which of late has awakened more interest than any other in the 
capital of Brazil, was organized in the latter part of 1837, under 
the name of Collegio de Pom Pedro II. It is designed to give a 
complete scholastic education, and corresponds, in its general plan, 
to the lyceums established in most of the provinces, although in 
endowment and patronage it is probably in advance of any of 
those. There was at the opening an active competition for the 
professorships, eight or nine in number. All of them are said to 
have been creditably filled. The concourse of students was very 
considerable from the first organization of the classes. A point 
of great interest connected with this institution is the circum- 
stance that its statutes provide expressly for the reading and study 
of the Holy Scriptures in the vernacular tongue. For some time 
previous to its establishment, copies of the Scriptures had been 
used in the other schools and seminaries of the city, where they 
were not likely to be less prized after so worthy an example on 
the part of the Emperor's College. The Eev. Mr. Spaulding (who 
was the clerical colleague of Dr. Kidder at Pio de Janeiro) had an 
application to supply a professor and an entire class of students 
with Bibles ; to which he cheerfully acceded, by means of a grant 
from the Missionary and Bible Societies 

The Military and Naval Academies are for the systematic in- 
struction of the young men destined to either branch of the public 
service. At fifteen years of age, any Brazilian lad who under- 
stands the elementary branches of a common education, and the 
French language so as to render it with facility into the national 
idiom or Portuguese, may, on personal application, be admitted to 
either of these institutions. I have never witnessed a more in- 
teresting scene than the assembling of these young men for their 



180 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



morning recitations. It carried me back to the Nort ern uni- 
versities, so much vigor and spirit did the Brazileiro students 
manifest in their sports and repartees, or in their explanations to 
each other of difficult points of geometry and engineering which 
were soon to be brought before their professors. 

The regular army of Brazil is about twenty-two thousand men. 
The national guard consists nominally of more than four hundred 
thousand men. 

The Naval Academy is located on board a man-of-war at anchor 
in the harbor, and introduces its pupils at once to life upon the 
water. 

The Imperial Academy of Medicine occupies the old Jesuits' 
College, on the Morro do Castello, and is attended by students in 
the different departments, to the number of more than three hun- 
dred. A full corps of professors, several of whom have been edu- 
cated in Europe, occupy the different chairs, and, by their reputa- 
tion, guarantee to the Brazilian student an extensive course of 
lectures and study. The institution is in close connection with 
the Hospital da Misericordia, which at all times offers a vast field 
for medical observation. 

The Theological Seminary of St. Joseph has less attraction for 
the Brazilian youth than any other educational establishment 
at Bio. 

The young Brazileiro, (of course we speak of the gentleman's 
son,) after leaving his collegio, enters the Medical Academy, or, 
having a warlike inclination, becomes a middy or a cadet, or he 
possibly may enter the Seminary of St. Joseph. If he has a legal 
turn, he is sent to the Law Schools at S. Paulo or Pernambuco. 
The young Brazilian likes nothing ignoble : he prefers to have a 
gold lace around his cap and a starving salary to the cares and 
toils of the counting-room. The Englishman and German are the 
wholesale importers, the Portuguese is the jobber, the Frenchman 
is the coiffeur and fancy dealer, the Italian is the pedlar, the Portu- 
guese islander is the grocer, the Brazilian is the gentleman. Every 
place in the gift of the Government is full of young attaches, from 
the diplomatic corps down to some petty office in the custom- 
house. The Brazilian, feeling himself above all the drudgery of 
life, is a man of leisure, and looks down in perfect contempt upon 



The Brazilian Gentleman. 



181 



the foreigner, who is always grumbling, fretting, and busy. The 
Brazilian of twenty-five is an exquisite. He is dressed in the last 
Paris fashion, sports a fine cane, his hair is as smooth as brush can 
make it, his moustache is irreproachable, his shoes of the smallest 
and glossiest pattern, his diamonds sparkle, his rings are unexcep- 
tionable : in short, he has a high estimation of himself and his 
clothes. His theme of conversation may be the opera, the next 
ball, or some young lady whose father has so many contos. 

In spite of all drawbacks, many of these men, in after-life, — 
whether in the diplomatic circle, in the court -room, in the House 
of Deputies, or in the Senate, — show that they are not deficient in 
talent or in acquirements. They can almost all turn a sentence 
well, rhyme when they choose, or make a fine ore rotundo speech, 
echoed by the apoiados of their companions. Some few become fine 
scholars, and more of them are readers than are generally supposed. 
Many of them travel for a year or two, and are educated in Europe 
or in the United States. The interest which the Brazilians, with 
D. Pedro II. at their head, are now manifesting in learned societies, 
— whose ranks are recruited from the very class mentioned, — de- 
monstrates that the "little old men" of twelve have not all turned 
out "froth though too much of the vain, the light, and the super- 
ficial must be predicated of the Brazilian, who looks upon cards, 
balls, and the opera as essential portions of his existence. From 
such men you would not expect much of the "sterner stuff" which 
enters into the structure of great statesmen. Nevertheless, the 
country has made wonderful progress ; and it must be added, that 
from time to time there have arisen from the lower ranks of society 
men of power, who have become leaders. There is nothing in the 
origin or the color of a man that can keep him down in Brazil. 

It must be borne in mind that the Brazilian thus described is 
not the portrait of the large majority of the citizens of the Empire, 
but of one from the higher classes as generally found in the cities. 
There are exceptions ; but the same religion and the same mode 
of thinking have, to a greater or less degree, given a similarity 
to all who comprise the upper ranks of society, and from whom 
come the magistrates, officers, diplomatists, and legislators. Their 
greatest defect is not the want of a polished education, but of a 
sound morality, a pure religion. Without these, a man may be 



182 



Brazil axd the Brazilians. 



amiable, refined, ceremonious; but their absence makes him irre- 
sponsible, insincere, and selfish. As nations are made up of indi- 
viduals, it should be the ardent desire of every Christian and 
philanthropist that this Southern people, which have so favorably 
set out in their national career, may have that which is far higher 
than mere refinement or education. 

The duties of the Brazilian citizen are clearly defined in the 
Constitution and by-laws of the Empire. Each male citizen who 
has attained his majority is entitled to a vote if he possess an 
income of one hundred milreis. Atonks, domestics, individuals not 
in the receipt of 1008000 rent, and, of course, minors, are excluded 
from voting. Deputies to the Assem b leia Geral are chosen, through 
electors, for four years. The Senator, who holds his position for 
life, is elected in a manner somewhat different from the Deputado. 
Electors, chosen by popular suffrage, cast their ballots for candi- 
dates aspiring to the senatorial office. The names of the three 
who stand highest on the list are handed to the Emperor, who 
selects one; and thus he who has been chosen through the people, 
electors, and the Emperor, takes his chair for lifetime in the Bra- 
zilian Chamber of Peers. There seems to have been great wisdom 
in all these conservative measures, and their excellencies are the 
more enhanced when we examine the various laws and qualifica- 
tions that pertain to elections and candidates in the States of 
Spanish America. The Chamber of Deputies consists of one 
hundred and eleven members, and the Senate, according to the 
Constitution, must contain half that number. The provincial 
legislators are chosen directly by the people. 

An election in Brazil is not very dissimilar to an election in the 
United States. Bio de Janeiro is divided into ten or twelve parishes 
(jreguezias) or wards. A list of voters in each parish is posted up 
for some weeks before an election, and the Government designates 
clerks and inspectors for the various freguezias. The elections are 
held in churches. Upon an American expressing to a Brazilian his 
surprise in regard to this seeming inconsistency in a Boman Ca- 
tholic country, — -where the importance put upon the visible temple 
is as great as if it were the very gate of heaven. — no satisfactory 
reply was obtained. The only theory by which the Fluminensian 
attempted to account for it was on the supposition that when the 



Elections and Political Parties. 



I 

183 



Constitutional Government was adopted it was deemed advisable 
to give a solemnity to the act of voting, — that men in the sacred 
edifice and before the altar would be restrained from acts of violence, 
and would be otherwise more guarded than in a secular building. 
Experience, however, has shown that political rancor will ride over 
all religious veneration; for it is said that on certain occasions, in 
some of the provinces, the exasperated electors have seized the tall 
candlesticks and the slender images from the altar to beat conviction 
into the heads of their opponents. 

A ballot-box, in the shape of a hair trunk, is surrounded by the 
clerks and inspectors; the vote is handed to the presiding officer; 
the name of the voter is checked, and the ballot is then deposited. 
Groups of people, active electioneerers and vote-distributers, may 
be seen in and around the church, like the crowds of the "unterri- 
fied" near the polls in the United States. The Government has 
great power in the elections through the numerous office-holders in 
its employ; but ofttimes it suffers a defeat. The supreme authori- 
ties have the right to set aside an election in cases of violence or 
fraudulent procedure. 

The parties are the ins and the outs, or Government and 
Opposition. The party-lines were formerly more closely drawn, 
under the names of Saquaremas, (the Conservatives,) and Luzias, 
(the Progressives.) These names are derived from two unim- 
portant freguezias in the provinces of Eio de Janeiro and Minas- 
Geraes, where the elections were hotly contested. 

These parties for some years contended for power and principle, 
and so warm were their struggles that at times they seemed to 
battle more for rule than for the success of principles. The Luzias 
endeavored to promote the welfare of Brazil by adopting laws and 
regulations for which the Saquaremas did not think the country 
yet prepared. Both struggled for many years, and alternately held 
the reins of government : at last the Saquarema party triumphed, 
and since 1848 has been at the head of affairs ; but its principles 
have been much modified. 

At present the two parties are nearly reconciled, there being few 
dissidents. This is owing to the wise policy of the Saquaremas. 
They have made good use of their great influence; they have- 
adopted some of the ideas of their opponents; and they have pro- 



184 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



moted to Government employment a number of the Luzias who 
were men of acknowledged ability and probity. 

This reconciliation was mostly owing to the political tactics 
of the late Marquis of Parana, who was a most skilful politician 
and a fluent speaker. He was an instance of a man of talent 
reaching by his industry and energy the highest position in the 
gift of the monarch and people. He knew well how to employ 
intrigue, and his moral character was by no means spotless; yet at 
his death, in September, 1856, party-spirit was laid aside, the faults 
of the man were covered, and the energy and talent of the states- 
man only were remembered. 

Among the distinguished politicians and orators of Brazil may 
be counted the Marquis of Olinda, (Pedro de Araujo Lima,) who 
was educated at the Portuguese University of Coimbra, and has 
dedicated more than thirty years of his life to the service of his 
country. He was Eegent during the minority of the Emperor, and 
has been at various times a member of the Cabinet. 

The Marquis d'Abrantes, (Miguel Calmon du Pin,) a skilful diplo- 
matist, consummate financier, and a distinguished orator, was at 
different periods a member of the Cabinet, and made himself still 
better known by a volume giving an account of his diplomatic mission 
in Europe. The Marquis d'Abrantes is the President of one of the 
most useful and important societies in Brazil, — A Sociedade Auxilia- 
dora da Industria National, — a voluntary company of gentlemen 
whose object is to advance the agricultural and mechanical and 
mineral interests of the country, by importing model implements, 
by correspondence with agriculturalists and manufacturers in all 
parts of the world, by combating indifference and indolence 
and every unprofitable routine of cultivation, and by developing 
the resources of the country. 

Among the veteran statesmen may be mentioned Senator Ver- 
gueiro, (once Begent during the minority of D. Pedro II.,) who has 
materially advanced the prosperity of his country by promoting, at 
his own expense, European immigration. A fuller sketch of this 
noble octogenarian is found in another chapter. 

The Visconde do Uraguay (Paulino Jose Soares de Souza) has 
long been a leader in Brazilian politics, and was Minister of Foreign 
Affairs when the cruel Dictator Bosas was overthrown by the 



Brazilian Statesmen and Nobility. 185 



combined Brazilian and Argentine armies and was expelled from 
Buenos Ayres. 

The Yisconde de Itaborahy (Joachim Jose Eodriges Torres) is a 
skilful financier, who has been frequently a member of the Cabinet; 
and it is to him that are due the reforms in the public treasury and 
the creation of a national bank. He has recently been engaged in 
promoting the interests of education, and in reforming public in- 
stitutions. 

The Yisconde de Abaete (Antonio Paulino Limpo de Abreo) has 
been many times Minister of Foreign Affairs, and is a brilliant and 
persuasive orator. 

The Yisconde de Sepetiba, (Aureliano de Souza Oliveira,) who 
has also been frequently a member of the Cabinet, was one of the 
first w*ho promoted the organization of companies to execute dif- 
ferent enterprises of internal improvement. 

The present (1857) Minister of Marine (Joao Mauricio Wan- 
derly) was President for three years of the province of Bahia, and 
directed its affairs with so much energy and prudence that he fully 
earned the honor of being called by the Emperor to take part in 
the Cabinet. 

Zacarias de Goes e Yasconcellos, former President of the new 
province of Parana, is a brilliant orator, and was called to a place 
in the Cabinet which went out in 1853. 

Luis Pedreira do Coutto Ferraz, though comparatively a young 
man, has been called to places of high honor and trust, and in 
1854-55 filled the important post of Minister of the Umpire. 

The Marques de Caxias — the Minister of War in the Cabinet 
which has so long been at the head of affairs — was, at the death 
of the Marques of Parana, placed by the Emperor over the Depart- 
ment of Finance. He is a gentleman of ability, affable in his 
manners, and distinguished as the commander-in-chief of the Bra- 
zilian forces which aided in the complete overthrow of Eosas. 

The Yisconde de Jequitinhonha, (Montezuma,) as a politician, 
diplomatist, and lawyer, ranks among the first men of the 
Empire. 

Brazil has always been well represented in foreign lands, and 
her diplomatic corps is not, like that of the United States, recruited 
from mere political partisans, but its members are fitted for their 



186 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



posts by education^ discipline, and graduation, in the same manner 
as the diplomatic ranks of England and France. 

Among them no one stands higher than Senhor Carvalho de 
Moreiro, who represented Brazil in the United States from 1852 to 
1855. This gentleman distinguished himself as an advocate at Eio 
de Janeiro, and in addition to his legal acquirements and abilities 
he is a man of varied culture and enlarged views. 

These are only a few of the leading men of the Empire, and 
want of space alone prevents the mention of many more. 

Titles of nobility have been often used in the foregoing pages, , 
and demand a further explanation. 

Nobility in Brazil is not hereditary, but bene merito, and has no 
landed interest or political influence. If a Brazilian has distin- 
guished himself by his statesmanship, his valor, or his philanthropy, 
and he receives patent of nobility from the Emperor, his son does 
not thereby become noble. The title is lost to the family at the 
death of its possessor. While it serves as a reward of merit 
higher than that of a member of some order of knighthood, it 
does not build up a potent aristocratic circle which places itself 
beyond the reach of common-born mortals. The titles of nobility 
are six,- — viz. : Marques, Count, Yiscount com grandeza, Baron com 
grandeza, Yiscount, and Baron. 

There are six orders of knighthood, three of which have been 
established under the present Emperor. These, as well as the titles 
of nobility, are doubtless great safety-valves for the ambition and 
vanity of a people who have never yet learned the lesson of sim- 
plicity. They are, at most, harmless; and, if they make the Bra- 
zilians happy and promote the welfare of the country, it does not 
become the most rigid republican to complain, or to wish to square 
every other Government by his Procrustean bed. 



CHAPTEE XI. 



PRAIA GRANDE — SAN DOMINGO — SABBATH-KEEPING — MANDIOCA — PONTE DE AREA 

VIEW FROM INGA" — THE ARMADILLO — COMMERCE OP BRAZIL — THE FINEST STEAM- 
SHIP VOYAGE IN THE WORLD — AMERICAN SEAMEN'S FRIEND SOCIETY — THE ENG- 
LISH CEMETERY ENGLISH CHAPEL BRAZILIAN FUNERALS TIJUCA BENNETT' S 

— CASCADES — EXCURSIONS — BOTANICAL GARDENS — AN OLD FRIEND — HOME. 

Rio de Janeiro, sometimes called A Corte (the Court) by the 
Brazilians, while situated within the province of the same name, 
is only the capital of the Empire. Praia Grande, on the opposite 
side of the bay, is the capital of the province of Rio de Janeiro. 
The latter city is in a neutral district, like the District of Columbia 
in the United States, and all the laws of this metropolis, as those 
of Washington, emanate from the General Government. 

Ferry-boats, resembling the small steamers on the Thames, run 
half-hourly between the Court and Praia Grande, touching at the 
neat little village of San Domingo. The passage is made in thirty 
minutes, and gives a fine view of the entrance to the harbor, the 
whole water-line of Rio, and the various anchorages for the ship- 
ping. 

Praia Grande and San Domingo stretch around a semicircular 

bay, and probably contain about sixteen thousand inhabitants. 

On account of the quietness and cheaper rents, many prefer this 

side of the water to the urbs fluminis as a place of residence. I here 

frequently held religious services, and the Sabbath seemed more 

like a day of rest than in Rio, where so many shops are open and 

the people generally given to amusement. In regard to the holy 

keeping of the day of rest the Brazilians are no more scrupulous 

than their co-religionists in France or Italy. Military parades are 

as frequent upon that day as any other ; and operas, theatres, and 

balls are probably more crowded than during the evenings of 

secular time. The foreign wholesale establishments are closed ; 

187 



188 Brazil and the Brazilians. 



but many of the native shopkeepers, and nearly all of the small 
French dealers, make as great a display, in the morning at least, as 
on Monday or Saturday. It must, however, be admitted to the 
credit of the Brazilians that they have made great improvements 
in this respect. Formerly there was no closing of the smaller 
places of business on Sunday, and that day, until within a few 
years, was the favorite of the week for holding auction-sales. This 
the authorities suppressed by edict; and in 1852, a number of the 
Brazilian jobbers, by an agreement, (convenio,) for a while ab- 
stained from Sunday dealings ; but this move was by no means so 
apparent as the suppression of the auctions. In the discussion 
which arose in regard to Sabbath-keeping, the Bishop of Bio de 
Janeiro, and the leading journals, took an active part. Notwith- 
standing all these ameliorations, the Lord's day is one of amuse- 
ment and business, so far as Brazilians are concerned; and its 
profanation is such as to shock even those who are not accustomed 
to the decent observance of that portion of time in England, Scot- 
land, or the United States. 

In Praia Grande and S. Domingo there are beautiful chacaras, 
(country-seats,) and quiet, shady nooks, whose delicious fragrance 
and coolness contrast refreshingly with the hot landing-place of 
the steam ferry-boat. 

Twenty minutes' walk from the praia (beach) will bring us into 
the sparsely-inhabited environs, where we may see the coffee-tree, 
with its cherry-like berries, the noble dome-shaped mangueira, 
whose fruit is esteemed so highly by the English in the East Indies, 
and orange-trees, whose rich, yellow burdens never become weari- 
some to the eye or cloying to the palate. There, too, we may see 
fields of the mandioca, which plant has been and is as much asso- 
ciated with the sustentation of life in Brazil as wheat in more 
northern climes. This vegetable, (Jatropha manihot L.,) being the 
principal farinaceous production of Brazil, is deserving of particular 
notice. Its peculiarity is the union of a deadly poison with highly- 
nutritious qualities. It is indigenous to Brazil, and was known to 
the Indians long before the discovery of the country. South ey 
remarks:— " If Ceres deserved a place in the mythology of Greece, 
far more might the deification of that person have been expected 
who instructed his fellows in the use of mandioc." It is difficult 



The Mandioca Root. 



189 



to imagine how savages should have ever discovered that a whole- 
some food might be prepared from this root. 

Their mode of preparation was by scraping it to a fine pulp with 
oyster-shells, or with an instrument made of small sharp stones set 
in a piece of bark, so 
as to form a rude 
rasp. The pulp was 
then rubbed or ground 
with a stone, the juice 
carefully expressed, 
and the last remain- 
ing moisture evapor- 
ated by the fire. The 
operation of prepar- 
ing it was thought 
unwholesome, and the 
slaves, whose busi- 
ness it was, took the 
flowers of the nhambi 
and the root of the 
urucu in their food, 
"to strengthen the 
heart and stomach/' 

The Portuguese 
soon invented mills 
and presses for this 
purpose. They usually 
pressed it in cellars, 
and places where it 

was least likely to occasion accidental harm. In these places it is said 
that a white insect was found generated by this deadly juice, itself 
not less deadly, with which the native women sometimes poisoned 
their husbands, and slaves their masters, by putting it in their 
food. A poultice of mandioc, with its own juice, was considered 
excellent for imposthumes. It was administered for worms, and 
was applied to old wounds to eat away the diseased flesh. For 
some poisons, also, and for the bite of certain snakes, it was 
esteemed a sovereign antidote. The simple juice was used for 




MANDIOCA, (JATROPHA MANIHOT. 



190 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



cleaning iron. The poisonous quality is confined to the root; for 
the leaves of the plant are eaten, and even the juice might be 
made innocent by boiling, and be fermented into vinegar, or inspis- 
sated till it became sweet enough to serve for honey. 

The crude root cannot be preserved three days by any possible 
care, and the slightest moisture spoils the flour. Piso observes, 
that he had seen great ravages occasioned among the troops by 
eating it in this state. There were two modes of preparation, by 
which it could more easily be kept. The roots were sliced under 
water, and then hardened before a fire. When wanted for use, 
they were grated into a fine powder, which, being beaten up with 
water, became like a cream of almonds. The other method was 
to macerate the root in water till it became putrid, then hang it 
up to be smoke-dried; and this, when pounded in a mortar, pro- 
duced a flour as white as meal. It was frequently prepared in this 
manner by savages. The most delicate preparation was by pressing 
it through a sieve and puttiog the pulp immediately in an earthen 
vessel on the fire. It then granulated, and was excellent when 
either hot or cold. 

The native mode of cultivating it was rude and summary. The 
Indians cut down the forest-trees, let them lie till they were dry 
enough to burn, and then planted the mandioc between the stumps. 
They ate the dry flour in a manner that baffled all attempts at 
imitation. Taking it between their fingers, they tossed it into 
their mouths so neatly that not a grain was lost. No European 
ever tried to perform this feat without powdering his face or his 
clothes, to the amusement of the savages. 

The mandioc supplied them also with their banqueting-drink. 
They prepared it by an ingenious process, which savage man has 
often been cunning enough to invent, but never cleanly enough to 
reject. The roots were sliced, boiled till they became soft, and set 
aside to cool. The young women then chewed them, after which 
they were returned into the vessel, which was filled with water, 
and once more boiled, being stirred the whole time. When this 
process had been continued sufficiently long, the unstrained con- 
tents were poured into earthen jars of great size, and buried up 
to the middle in the floor of the house. The jars were closely 
stopped, and, in the course of two or three days, fermentation took 



Tapioca. 



191 



place. They had an old superstition that if it were made by men 
it would be good for nothing. When the drinking-day arrived, 
the women kindled fires around these jars, and served out the 
warm potion in half-gourds, which the men came dancing and 
singing to receive, and always emptied at one draught. They 
never ate at these parties, but continued drinking as long as one 
drop of the liquor remained, and, having exhausted all in one 
house, removed to the next, till they had drank out all in the town. 
These meetings were commonly held about once a month. De Lery 
witnessed one which lasted three days and three nights. Thus, 
man, in every age and country, gives proof of his depravity, by 
converting the gifts of a bountiful Providence into the means of 
his own destruction. 

Mandioca is difficult of cultivation, — the more common species 
requiring from twelve to eighteen months to ripen. Its roots have 
a great tendency to spread. Cut slips of the plant are inserted in 
large hills, which at the same time counteract this tendency, and 
furnish it with a dry soil, which the mandioca prefers. The roots, 
when dug, are of a fibrous texture, corresponding in appearance to 
those of the long parsnip. The process of preparation is first to 
boil them, then remove the rind, after which the pieces are held 
by the hand in contact with a circular grater turned by water- 
power. The pulverized material is then placed in sacks, several 
of which, thus filled, are subjected to the action of a screw-press 
for the expulsion of the poisonous liquid. The masses thus solidi- 
fied by pressure are beaten fine in mortars. The substance is 
next transferred to open ovens, or concave plates, heated beneath, 
where it is constantly and rapidly stirred until quite dry. The 
appearance of the farinha, when well prepared, is very white and 
beautiful, although its particles are rather coarse. It is found upon 
every Brazilian table, and forms a great variety of healthy and 
palatable dishes. The fine substance deposited by the juice of the 
mandioca, when preserved, standing a short time, constitutes the 
tapioca of commerce, so well known in the culinary departments 
of North America and Europe, and is now a valuable export from 
Brazil. 

Another species, called the Aipim, (manihot Aipim,) is common. 
It is destitute of all poisonous qualities, and is boiled or roasted, 



192 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



and is but little ' inferior to the potato or the large Italian 
chestnut. It has further the advantage of requiring but 
eight months to ripen, although it cannot be converted into 
farinha. 

Not far from Praia Grande is the foundry, engine-manufactory, 
and ship-yard of Ponte da Area, where four or five hundred 
mechanics and laborers, under European and Brazilian super- 
vision, are turning out works of importance and magnitude. In 
the year 1854, besides kettles, stills, and boilers, this establish- 
ment constructed four steamers with their engines, and two more 
steamers and a bark were upon the stocks. 

But the most attractive part of this side of the water is the 
peaceful and beautiful Bua da Inga and the Praia de Carahy. We 
wind through a thoroughfare — if it can be so called — overhung by 
graceful shade-trees ; and on either side, almost hidden by hedges 
of mimosa, creeping and flowering vines, huge plants and cacti in 
gorgeous bloom, are the vermilion roofs and the blue arabesques 
of Brazilian cottages. In a few minutes we reach the Praia de 
Carahy, where the fanning sea-breeze dashes the waves in foaming 
brightness against the shell-paved beach. The scene beyond is 
indescribable in its beauty and its grandeur; and the view of the 
surrounding mountains and Bio de Janeiro nestling at their base 
has often reminded me of the observations of Mr. Hillard in regard 
to Naples and Edinburgh, when he says, " The works of man's hands 
are subordinate to the grand and commanding features of nature 
around and above them : . . . . the magnificent lines and sweeps 
of the landscape eat up the city itself." 

When I gazed from the craggy cliff of Inga upon the rolling 
surf beneath, — the graceful lake-like Bay of Jurujuba on our left, 
the islet of Boa Viagem before us, crowned with its picturesque 
chapel, dear to mariners and kissed by the breeze-swayed palm- 
tree, and as with silent wonder I beheld far across the water the 
giant groupings of the Pao de Assucar, the Tres Irmaos, the wide- 
topped Gavia, the columnar Corcovado, and the distant Tijuca, — 
I could realize the emotions of the same polished and forcible 
writer when acknowledging the utter impossibility of describing 
the Italian scene to which the Brazilian landscape is equal in 
beauty and superior in sublimity. What Mr. Hillard has said of 



The View from Ixga. 



193 



the glorious environs of Naples is doubly true of the view from 
Inga : — "What words can analyze and take to pieces the parts and 
details of this matchless panorama, or unravel that magic web of 
beauty into which palaces, villas, forests, gardens, the mountains 
and the sea, are woven ? What pen can paint the soft curves, the 
gentle undulations, the flowing outlines, the craggy steeps, and the 
far-seen heights, which, in their combination, are so full of grace, 
and, at the same time, expression ? Words here are imperfect in- 
struments, and must yield their place to the pencil and the graver. 
But no canvas can reproduce the light and color which play around 
this enchanting region. No skill can catch the changing hues of 
the distant mountains, the star-points of the playing waves, the 
films of purple and green which spread themselves over the calm 
waters, the sunsets of gold and orange, and the aerial veils of rose 
and amethyst which drop over the hills from the skies of morning 
and evening." 

Such scenes can be felt, not described. 

If we now turn from the white beach and the magnificent 
Vista de Ingd, and seek the reddish-colored hills which are 
beyond the Bay of Jurujuba, we shall in our rambles frequently 
meet portions of the earth freshly thrown up. This has been done 
by the armadillo; for the pointed snout 
and the strong claws of this little buckler- 
clad animal admirably adapt him for bur- 
rowing, which operation he performs with 
such astonishing rapidity that it is almost 
impossible to get at him by digging. The 
hunters, in such a case, resort to fire, and 
smoke the armadillo out of his den. Not 
being able to stand the fumes of burning THE armadillo. 
wood, the little fellow rushes through the 

new-made aperture, rolls himself up, is easily captured, and his 

delicate flesh is soon consigned to the kitchen. This power of 

enveloping himself so completely in his shell that he appears like 

a round stone or a cocoanut, is a provision of a kind Providence. 

The armadillo cannot run with any degree of rapidity, and, when 

attacked by birds of prey, he rolls himself up like a hedgehog, and 

offers only a solid uniform surface impervious to beaks and talons. 

13 




194 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

Or again, if set upon by a dog or some small quadruped, he " swal- 
lows himself and rolls down a hill. I have before me a specimen 

of the armadillo that was seized in his 
doubled-up state and thrust immediately 
into boiling water, which has preserved 
him in that position. So little does it re- 
semble the live animal or his natural 
elongated appearance, that no friend to 
whom I have shown him could divine 
what it was, nearly every one taking him 
to be some strange Brazilian nut. The en- 
gravings afford a perfect likeness of him 
from two different points of view : neither 
head nor tail can be made of him, unless 
the triangular piece is his os frontis. 

In returning to Bio de Janeiro, it is 
often an agreeable variety to make the 
passage in &falua* This is a species of 
boat with lateen sails, and may be of 
twenty or forty tons' burden. They are manned by a captain, who 
steers, takes the three-cent fare, and scolds the poor blacks. When 
it is calm, the more than half-naked negroes slowly pull at the 
long oars, which are so heavy, that, in order to obtain a " pur- 
chase/' they are obliged to step up on a sort of bench before them, 
and thus, rising and falling to a monotonous African ditty, they 
form one of the peculiar sights of Bio. Many of the poorer 
classes go as passengers on these faluas; but they are mostly 
used for the transportation of light cargoes to various towns on 
the bay. If we take a falua to the Saude, we pass through vast 
quantities of shipping. 

The great interests of Brazilian commerce draw an immense 
number of vessels from all portions of the globe. Brazil itself pos- 
sesses the second navy of the Western World, and her steam- 
frigates and her sloops-of-war rendered essential service in the 
overthrow of the tyrant Bosas at Buenos Ayres. 

Since 1839, Brazil has had steamship-lines running along the 





* The sail-boats in the engravings on pages 60 and 201 are faluas. 



The Commerce of Brazil. 



195 



whole of her four thousand miles of sea-coast, but it was not until 
1850 that steam-communication was established to Europe. It was 
then that the Eoyal British Mail Steamship Company, whose 
vessels start from Southampton, began their monthly voyages; 
and now Brazil has no less than eight different lines of steamers, 
connecting her with England, France, Hamburg, Portugal, Belgium, 
and Sardinia. The United States, which hitherto has been the 
great commercial rival of Great Britain in Brazil, has not a single 
line of steamers to any portion of South America; and, while 
England is reaping golden harvests, the balance of trade is each 
year accumulating against us. With all this so evident, it does 
seem strange that the General Government of the Union, which 
has aided in extending our mercantile interests by subsidies to 
steamships running to other lands, has been so tardy in regard to 
South America, and especially unmindful of Brazil. England's 
commerce with Brazil since the establishment of her first steam- 
line in 1850 has increased her exports more than one hundred per 
cent., while the United States has required thirteen years to make 
the same advance. Her entire commerce with Brazil, imports and 
exports, has advanced two hundred and twenty-five per cent, since 
her first steam-line was established. Each year the balance of 
trade is increasing rapidly against us. In 1856, the United States 
exported to Brazil $5,094,904, while in return the United States 
imported from Brazil $19,262,657, or, in other words, our last 
year's trading with Brazil left against us the cash balance of 
$14,167,753, which we had to pay at heavy rates of exchange. 
England, in 1855, sold Brazil $23,000,000, and bought of her in 
return only $15,000,000, thus leaving the latter her debtor. "Why 
is there such a disastrous account against us? British steamers, 
energy, and capital, and our neglect, have thus advanced the 
commerce of England. Our Government and our merchants, 
notwithstanding their boasted enterprise, have done next to 
nothing to foster the trade with Brazil. Purchasing as we do half 
her coffee crop and the greater portion of her India-rubber, there 
ought to be an effort on our part to introduce effectually the 
many productions of our country which we can furnish as well as 
Great Britain. Our common cottons are better than the imitations 
of the same manufactured at Manchester, England, and yet labelled 



196 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



" Lowell drillings "'and " York Mils, Saco, Me." We can furnish 
many kinds of hardware and other items cheaper and better than 
England. The few efforts made by single individuals (as in the case 
of Mr. N. Sands, — Eilgueiras, Sands & Co.) to introduce the labor- 
saving machines of our country have already resulted in the esta- 
blishment of four different Brazilian houses in Bio de Janeiro, where 
one can purchase various articles under the comprehensive name of 
Genros Norte Americanos. In 1856, the United States purchased one- 
third of all the exports of Brazil, but the imports from the United 
States into the Empire were not one-tenth of the Brazilian imports. 
This subject demands investigation from individuals and from our 
Government. It does not fall within my province to extend this to 
greater length in this portion of the work, but the statistician and 
the political economist, as well as those who are engaged in com- 
merce, will find in the Appendix much information in regard to our 
business-relations with Brazil; and in this connection it is but just 
and due to one who has consecrated his life to the promotion of the 
commercial interests of both countries, that I should mention the 
efforts of Br. Thomas Bainey. This gentleman, though young in 
years, but old in experience, visited Brazil in 1854 for the purpose 
of travelling through this extensive Empire. On arriving at 
Para, on the Amazon, he was so struck with the immense resources 
of the country, the trade which, default of exertions on the part 
of the United States, was seeking an outlet five thousand miles 
away, while our own land was two thousand miles nearer, that he 
studied the Portuguese language for the purpose of investigating 
the facts in the case. So impressed was he with the glaring truth 
that the trade of all Brazil was gliding from us, and that nothing 
but steamship-intercourse could restore it, that he gave up his 
intended prolonged explorations of the interior, and devoted him- 
self to the endeavor to connect our country by steam with this 
growing Empire. He perceived that it could be easily accomplished 
by running a mail steamship-line via the West Indies to the mouth 
of the Amazon, and there connecting with the various Brazilian 
lines which, having their head-quarters at Bio de Janeiro, touched 
not only at every important seaport town and city, but extended 
to the fertile regions of the La Plata. He conceived that such a 
line might be made subservient to the interests of both the large 



A Steamship Line to Brazil. 



197 



fields of commerce comprehended in the West Indies and Northern 
and Eastern South America. He did not, however, look upon the 
matter as of mere dollars and cents, but as one of essential welfare 
to the Western Continent. At a pecuniary loss to himself, he has 
travelled twice from Washington to Eio de Janeiro, visiting the 
Amazon and the West Indies, — going before the executive heads 
and the statesmen of each Government, and has called their atten- 
tion to the important facts which he has elucidated after patient 
investigation. It was a favorite idea that the interests of this 
continent should be united; that the policy of the North and South 
American States should be essentially American, and not European; 
and that to this end they should be locked in the closest embraces 
of steam, by which alone they could cultivate those intimate rela- 
tions of friendship and that mutual confidence which would result 
in the improvement of commerce and the material advancement 
of the New World. And as Brazil is the second country of the 
Western World and the leader of the South American States, a 
connection with her will be beneficial, not only to the commercial 
enterprise of both countries, but will be advancing the higher 
and better interests of humanity in every nation of our whole 
continent. 

Our communication with Brazil, and consequently with all South 
America, is now exceedingly difficult. We have no means of 
sending letters and passengers except by sailing-vessels, which are 
slow, unreliable, and but little disposed to accommodate the 
interests of rivals. Nearly all passengers and letters now go to 
Liverpool, thence to Southampton or the Continent, and thence to 
Brazil, La Plata, and the Windward Islands, — a distance of nearly 
nine thousand miles. Our commercial men not only have to send 
by this most unnatural transit, but are compelled to submit also to 
the most harassing disadvantages, and are almost at the mercy of 
European rivals. It is therefore to be regretted that the last Con- 
gress, in the pressure of the business preceding the inauguration, 
did not have time to act upon the report laid before that body. It 
is, however, only a work of time, and no doubt another year will 
not roll round before this line, so important to the interests of our 
country, will be established. In the mean time the able report and 
the joint bill reported unanimously by the committees of the 



198 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Senate and the House of Bepresentatives, show the high appre- 
ciation of the persevering efforts of Dr. Kainey ; and the reader will 
find in it a complete statement of the case, and of the urgent want 
of steam-communication with South America. (See Appendix.) 

The various anchorages are plainly laid down in the plan of the 
bay; and no sight can be more gay than the forests of masts, 
on a Brazilian holiday, decked out in bright flags and flaunting 
streamers. 

Behind the island of Enxados are the English, French, German, 
Portuguese, and Sardinian steamers, which have come over the 
pleasantest route that is known in ocean-navigation. I have sailed 
on many seas, but I know of no voyage which, all things considered, 
is comparable to that from Bio de Janeiro to England. We are out 
of sight of land but six days at the longest stretch, (from Pernam- 
buco to the Cape de Yerds;) while the average number of days at 
sea without stopping are two and a half. From Bio to Bahia there 
are but three days' steaming over summer waters; and the ten 
or twelve hours at the second city of the Empire gives plenty of 
time for refreshing promenades or rides into the country. In 
less than two days we land at Pernambuco, where we spend from 
twelve to twenty hours, lay in a stock of fine oranges and pine- 
apples, (capital anti-nauseatics,) and perhaps purchase a few scream- 
ing parrots or chattering monkeys to present to our European 
friends. We then steam for St. Yincent, (Cape de Yerds,) where 
we remain a few hours, and, next steering northward, in forty- 
eight hours we behold, one hundred and fifty miles at sea, the tall 
Peak of Teneriffe lifting itself more than thirteen thousand feet 
from the bosom of the ocean. Here we revel in peaches, pears, 
figs, and luscious clusters of grapes, — in short, all the fruits of the 
temperate zone. We pass through the Canaries, and in thirty 
hours are at Funchal, where the fruit-dose is repeated ; a walk upon 
the shore (if health-bill clean) is permitted, and, after being bored 
a few hours by the pedlars and grape-venders, we bid farewell to 
picturesque Madeira, and, at the end of three days, sail up the 
mouth of the Tagus and anchor before Lisbon. When we leave 
Portugal, we steam along its coast and that of Spain, and in 
three days we land at Southampton. No such steamer-voyage 
exists in the world ; and those who are in quest of the new, the 



Accessibility of Kio de Janeiro. 



199 



strange, and the beautiful, can nowhere so easily and so cheaply 
gratify their wishes in those respects as by the trip from South- 
ampton to Kio, or vice versa. 

To return from our digression : we now look, from the island of 
Enxados, upon what are called the loading and the discharging 
grounds or anchorage. 

On either hand, over vessels of every class, — from the coasting- 
smack to the largest freighting-ships, — may be seen the flags of 
Spain, Portugal, Sardinia, Tuscany, Naples, France, Belgium, 
Bremen, Austria, Denmark, Sweden, England, the United States, 
the South American Eepublics, and Brazil. These vessels are re- 
quired to anchor at sufficient distance apart to swing clear of each 
other in all the different positions in which the ebbing and flowing 
tide may place them : thus, boats may pass among them at plea- 
sure. Here and there guard-ships are stationed, to prevent 
smuggling; and near by are several hulks of Brazilian men-of- 
war, one of which is used as the seat of the Naval Academy. 

Situated accessibly as the port of Rio de Janeiro is, upon the 
great highway of nations, with a harbor unrivalled, not only for 
beauty, but also for the security it affords to the mariner, it be- 
comes a touching-point for many vessels not engaged in Brazilian 
commerce. Those that suffer injury in the perils of the sea between 
the equator and the Cape of Good Hope generally put in here for 
repairs. Many sons of the ocean, with dismasted or waterlogged 
vessels, have steered for this harbor as their last hope. At the 
same time, nearly all men-of-war and many merchantmen, bound 
round Cape Horn or the Cape of Good Hope, put in here to re- 
plenish their water and fresh provisions. Thus, in the course of 
business and of Providence, missionaries, either outward or home- 
ward bound, were in various instances thrown among us for a 
brief period; and we scarcely knew which to value most, — the pri- 
vilege of enjoying their society and counsel, or that of extending 
to them those Christian hospitalities not always expected on a 
foreign shore. We enjoyed many such visits that will long be 
remembered, and we seemed to be brought directly in contact with 
Russia, India, the Sandwich Islands, and Central and South Africa, 
— the countries where the individuals met with had severally 
labored. 



200 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Such circumstances beautifully illustrate the central position and 
the important character of the harbor of Eio de Janeiro, which 
forms a converging-point for vessels from any port of the United 
States and Europe, and for returning voyages from Australia, Cali- 
fornia, and the islands of the Pacific. 

Annually more than twelve thousand mariners, sailing under the 
flags of England and the United States, are gathered at Eio de 
Janeiro. This class of men demands the earnest attention of the 
philanthropic Christian. If pestilence visits Eio, they are sure to 
fall before it sooner than any other men who resort thither. The 
improvidence of sailors is proverbial, and their general dissipation 
and recklessness are well known. A greater proportion of these 
men die annually than of those who follow any other calling. 
They therefore really call for most earnest effort in their behalf, 
both morally and physically. 

The exertions that have been made among sailors at Eio from 
time to time have not been entirely in vain. The American Sea- 
men's Eriend Society — a noble institution, which has carried the 
church over the world for Americans and Englishmen — established 
a chaplaincy at this port more than twenty years ago. iSTo chapel 
was ever erected, because the peculiar regulations of the port are 
such that vessels lie at anchor away from the shore ; hence it has 
been usual to hold services on board various vessels that might be 
in the harbor. The Bethel flag, with its white dove, would be 
hoisted to the main, and, when unfurled to the breeze, like a 
church-bell, though mute, would call the hardy mariners from the 
various anchorages to come up to the floating tabernacle, there to 
join in the hymn of praise, or to listen, in this distant clime, to 
the lessons of sacred truth. During a number of years it was my 
privilege, in connection with duties on shore, to fill the post of 
American Chaplain. It was my custom, when the port was 
health}-, to visit the English and American vessels each Friday, 
conversing with the officers, dropping a word of advice to the 
sailors, and placing in the hand of each a tract to announce the 
ship over which the Bethel flag would float on the following Sun- 
day. When the yellow fever prevailed, I daily attended the hos- 
pitals and boarded the ships to administer the comforts of the 
gospel to the sick and dying sailors. Poor fellows ! Many passed 



The English Cemetery. 



201 



from time into eternity without being able to send a parting mes- 
sage to their distant friends j but, whenever I could ascertain the 
address of their relatives, I forwarded their dying words, which 
were frequently the outpourings of their faith and hope in Christ. 

In this round of duties I was materially aided by Senhor Leo- 
poldo, the guarda-mor, who, with great kindness, made an exception 
in favor of the chaplain, allowing me to visit all the vessels in port 
without the special daily permit.* 

From the loading-ground to the British Cemetery at Gamboa 
the distance by water is little more than a mile ; and often have I 




ENGLISH CEMETERY AT GAMBOA. 



had to lead the mournful procession from the landing-place up the 
green walks of this quiet and retired resting-place for the dead. 
In this beautiful and secluded spot sleep more than one minister- 
plenipotentiary and admiral. Men of eminent station, as well as the 
unknown English and American citizen, the German, the French- 
man, the Swede, and the representatives of the commercial marine 
of almost every nation, here slumber in death. No portion of Rio 

* This courtesy can be better appreciated when the reader is informed that, by 
the narrow and restricted port-laws of Brazil, no one except a custom-house officer 
can visit, without permit, a vessel that is discharging. The penalty for each 
offence is a fine of fifty dollars. 



202 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



was ever more impressive to me, whether it was in reading the 
solemn funeral-service in the hearing of many, or when, with none 
but the sexton, I stood by the new-made grave, or when alone 
I wandered through the shady walks. This cemetery belongs to 
the English ; but the application of any consul for the burial of a 
deceased person of another nation is never rejected. 

"While Englishmen either at home or at Eio have done so much 
toward preparing and beautifying a suitable resting-place for the 
dead, they have sadly neglected the living who come to this mart. 
There is regular service for those who reside in the city ; but for 
the six thousand mariners who sail hither under the English flag, 
no provision has been made. The duties of the English chaplain 
confine him to the shore; and, though occasionally English officers 
and masters go to the chapel, the sailor is neglected. It may be 
said, "There stands the chapel; let him go thither." Men who are 
not accustomed to the sound of the church-going bell, and whose 
proclivities are not particularly God-ward, have some hesitation to 
row one mile upon the water, and then, in a tropic clime, to walk 
another, in a strange city, to a house of worship with which they 
do not feel associated by ordinary local ties. For such men, either 
the English Bethel Union, or some benevolent association connected 
with the Established Church or with Dissenters, should make pro- 
vision for regular worship. If men will not come to the gospel, we 
must take it to them; and the most earnest workman in the vine- 
yard of our Master will find enough to do among the English sailors 
in the harbor of Bio de Janeiro. The lower class of English laborers, 
either in the mines or engaged in the construction of railways, is 
annually increasing, and it is hoped that the effort for ameliorating 
the moral condition of the resident workmen, so auspiciously begun 
at the Saude, may be followed up on the vast water-parish which 
is ever to be found floating on the commodious bay. I am aware 
that there are those who look upon it as a more hopeful task to 
labor for the good of souls among the heathen than for seamen. 
"While I would not have a single soldier called in from the distant 
outposts, I do believe that, under the circumstances, no distant 
field is more encouraging than caring for the spiritual welfare of 
those who " go down to the sea in ships." They may be termed a 
"hard set;" but they have noble and generous qualities and great 



Brazilian Funerals. 



203 



temptations. It therefore becomes the English Christian not to 
rest until in every important foreign port he establishes worship 
for the sailor. 

The English Chapel is situated in Eua dos Barbonos, near the 
Largo da Mai do Bispo. This neat little edifice was erected in 1823, 
almost immediately after the achievement of Brazilian Independ- 
ence. Service is held here each Sunday morning at eleven o'clock, 
and the English resident experiences a homelike feeling when he 
finds himself surrounded by his countrymen, and listens to the 
sacred and beautiful service to which he was accustomed in the 




THE ENGLISH CHAPEL. 



land of his birth. It is, however, painful to reflect that so few avail 
themselves of the opportunity which this chapel affords for hearing 
the great truths of the gospel expounded with clearness and ability. 
Compared with all other English chapels which I have visited in 
many foreign lands, that of Eio de Janeiro is the least frequented. 

There are a number of Eoman Catholic cemeteries in the vicinity 
of the city, which belong to the different brotherhoods. The Bra- 
zilian funerals are conducted with much pomp. Formerly inter- 
ments took place in the churches j but, since 1850, there have been 
no inter mural burials. Carriages and outriders, and a long train 
of friends in vehicles, make up the procession. There are not, to a 
great extent, those peculiar customs and ceremonies which were 



204 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



formerly consequent upon a death in a Brazilian family. There is 
more parade than npon the Continent, and probably more, since the 
burial-reform, than in England. The deceased child, often decked 
with flowers, is borne to the grave in an open hearse with gilded 
pillars. The driver of the hearse, the footman, and the four out- 
riders, upon white horses, are in red livery. Custom forbids the 
presence of women at a funeral, and also the attendance of very 
near relatives. If the deceased be above ten years of age, the im- 
mediate relatives remain at home for eight days, during the first 
of which a profound silence is maintained. "When friends come to 
offer their sympathy, the customaiy salutation of those who enter 
is, " Will you permit me to offer my condolence for the loss you 
have sustained V 1 Silence is then preserved by both parties, and, 
after some minutes, the visitor withdraws. 

From the cemetery of G-amboa is a vista of the Serra de Tijuca ; 
and among the many jaunts near the city, none surpasses in inte- 
rest the ride up these mountains. Passing through the long street 
of Engenho Yelho, which is lined with the residences of wealthy 
families, each surrounded with its chacara or grounds, that glow 
with the fadeless verdure of mangeiras, orange-groves, and palms, 
interspersed with flowers of the brightest hues, we reach the foot 
of the mountain. Here are many picturesque villas, each having 
piazzas in front, and often approached by a large stone gateway, 
where, in the evening, the family sit to amuse their listless hours 
by watching the passers-by. These country-residences are built in 
a style that accords well with the glowing climate. The pediments 
and cornices of the houses are ornamented with arabesques on a 
ground of vivid blue. No ugly clusters of smoking chimneys 
deform the roofs. The white walls glitter amid the dark foliage, 
or stand in strong relief against the steep mountain-sides. The 
native families generally live on the plain, and near the ever- 
attractive road; but the Englishman, true to his national character, 
climbs the mountain and builds an eyrie among the clouds. 

On arriving at a mineral spring, called Agoa Ferrea, you quit 
your carriage for the more agreeable mode of travel afforded by 
horse or mule. It is true that invalids and hard-hearted people 
may cause four mules to drag them up the steep ascent. But no 
one possessing eyes, taste, and health, should miss the opportunity 



TlJUCA. 



205 



of a horse-back ride. It is difficult to speak calmly of the scenery 
about Eio. No pen can do justice to the view that meets the eye 
half-way up the mountain. A good cicerone will keep your atten- 
tion fixed on the flowers that adorn the left bank of the road 
until he reaches a low part of the brushwood and pulls in his 
horse, exclaiming, "Look!" A wondrous view it is that bursts 
upon you. There, unfurled before you, like a fairy panorama, 
are the bay with its islands, the distant mountains blending with 
the clear blue sky, — a dark precipitous cliff on the right, pouring 
down its tiny cascades in silvery lines, that relieve its barren stern- 
ness, and on the left a high hill, covered with glossy-leaved coffee- 
plants : on the plain below rises a single mound, and beyond is the 
gleaming city, — its white edifices peacefully encircling the green 
hills of Conception, San Eento, and Antonio. Nothing but a large 
oil-painting can convey any just idea of this view; and it was here 
that an English painter took his stand for a tropic landscape of 
surpassing beauty. 

After a long gaze you turn away only half satisfied, and imme- 
diately lose sight of all on that side of the mountain, but soon dis- 
cover the open sea beyond the opposite descent. A few minutes more 
brings you to the residence of Mr. Bennett, an intelligent English- 
man, who has erected in this beautiful spot a boarding-house, where 
many of the foreign residents pass the hot months. Here, while 
only eight miles from the Praca do Commercio, far from the heat 
and noise of the busy city, we could spend our days and nights in 
ease and comfort. No mosquitoes fright away sleep with their 
fierce war-whoops; no cockroaches — or baratos, as they are called — 
crawl over your feet as you sit in the piazza. But do not imagine 
that there is total stillness. On the contrary, the air is vocal with 
the sounds of that portion of animated nature which loves to dis- 
turb nocturnal hours. Pre-eminent above all is the staccato music 
of the blacksmith-frog, whose substantial body a man's hands 
could not enclose, and every sound that he produces rings upon 
the ear like the clang of a hammer upon an anvil, while the tones 
uttered by his congeners strikingly resemble the lowing of distant 
cattle. 

Not far from Bennett's are the coffee-plantations of Mr. Lescene 
and of Mr. Moke, which are among the very first that were culti- 



206 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



vated in Brazil; and, as they are the only fazendas near to the city, 
no stranger should omit an early walk to the lovely valley where 
they are found. 

The excursions from the boarding-house are most varied and 
interesting. To climb the Pedra Bonita and gaze upon the moun- 
tain-landscape and the far-off meeting of sky and ocean is the 
delightful work of a few hours. The charm of Tijuca is that, 
while its climate is unchanging June, and its verdure tropical, it 




BENNETT'S, TIJUCA. 

possesses the sparkling cascades and thundering waterfalls of 
Switzerland. If we wander from Bennett's toward Bio, and 
turn to our left, a few moments will bring us to a limpid stream 
which hangs like a ribbon down the mountain-side, and sends up 

" Brave notes to all the woods around, 
When morning beams are gathering fast, 
And hush'd is every human sound." 

This beautiful fall is said to come from a height of three hundred 
feet, and reminded me of the leaping brooks of the Yalley of the 
Bhone, or the graceful cascade of Arpenaz, that swings from an 
Alpine cliff into the sweet vale of Maglan. Or again, if we ride 
for a half-hour in the opposite direction from the mountain 
boarding-house, we reach a wild and verdant spot, where, dismissing 



Excursions. 



207 



our horses, we climb up through banana-fields and forest, and reach 
the foaming waters of the Cascata Grande. Here the Tijuca Eiver 
leaps for sixty feet or more over a rocky inclined plain, presenting, 
when the volume is increased, an imposing appearance ; but, when 
the stream is only supplied by the clear springs of the Serra, it 
glides down in a transparent sheet, revealing the shining rock 
beneath. The river pursues its way over a rock-bed down the 
mountain, and loses itself in the lake which mirrors the giant 
Gavia. 

Mr. Ewbank, who is usually very correct in his facts, has 
curiously departed from his accustomed precision in the statement 
that it was " in this secluded retreat that the Bishop of Eio lay 
concealed during the troubles with the French Protestants of 
Coligny's time." No " Bishop of Eio" was in existence " during 
the troubles of Coligny's time." The only bishopric in Brazil for 
many years was that of Bahia. The French were finally expelled 
from the Bay of Eio de Janeiro in 1567, and it was not until this 
was effected that the city of San Sebastian or Eio de Janeiro was 
founded. Mr. Ewbank was doubtless misled by some one informing 
him that the remains near the Cascata Grande were those of walls 
erected for the bishop when the French took possession of Eio. 
This is perfectly correct; for in 1711, after the disastrous defeat of 
the French commander Du Clerc, (in 1710,) Du Guay Trouin came 
with an avenging squadron to Eio de Janeiro, and on such a scale 
were his preparations that the inhabitants fled to the mountains 
of Tijuca, and there remained until the city was taken and sacked, 
and did not return before Trouin had sailed away with his heavy 
ransom. 

But if Mr. Ewbank has been led into error so far as a date is 
concerned, he has more than made up for it by his beautiful and 
graphic painting of the bright Falls of Tijuca, as it appeared to him 
when taking a picnic-dinner upon the glistening stones : — " Our 
table extended into the channel; and there we banqueted and 
reclined amid scenery far excelling that which Pliny's Laurentinum 
dining-chamber opened on. Shielded from the sun by nature's 
parasols, far from the busy scenes of artificial life, not a carking 
care to trouble us, and our spirits airy as our dresses, we laughed 
and talked and dipped our cups in the crystal stream as people did 



208 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



in the golden age. Flora adorned the hanging shrubbery ; Pomona, 
from the distance, looked on; zephyrs played round us; and 
naiads — if naiads there be — frisked in the falls and threw spray at 
us as they glided by." 

From Tijuca there is a very fine excursion around the base of the 
G-avia, high up whose steep sides are certain curious hieroglyphics, 
which have long occupied the attention of the learned. These 
characters seem like Eoman letters ; but the best explanation of 
their existence upon this precipitous wall is that nature has 
chiselled them by rains and sun, and, perhaps in times remote, by 
little shrubs, whose seeds, deposited by wandering birds, have 
grown in the crevices until their swelling roots have aided the rain 
in prying off friable portions of the rock. 

This excursion can be extended upon the wave-washed beach 
around to the Botanical Gardens, above which, from one of the 
lesser hills, is a prospect not excelled by the views of Como and 
Maggiore. The abrupt Corcovado presents a new face as it looks 
down upon the calm Lagoa das Freitas. The stately palms of the 
Jardim Botanico seem from our elevation like the trees of a child's 
toy garden. The Serra, across the Bay of Bio, takes every shade 
of purple and blue during the daytime, and, as the sun at eventide 
darts his rays athwart the Pao de Assucar and the Irmoes, the dis- 
tant white fortress of Santa Cruz stands out from waters and moun- 
tains of rose. A lady friend, who sketched for me the opposite en- 
graved scene, accompanied the gift with this remark in regard to 
the exquisite tints of that tropic region : — " Years of familiarity 
never destroyed for me the loveliness and marvellousness of these 
hues, which a painter would hesitate to put upon canvas for exhi- 
bition to the inhabitants of a less genial zone." There is less 
difficulty, however, in transferring to the sketch-book the bold out- 
lines of those peculiar-shaped mountains which abound throughout 
almost every league of the capital province of the Empire; and 
the many scenes presented in this portion of " Brazil and the Bra- 
zilians," which were taken to support no argument of mine, will 
expose the absurdity as well as the inaccuracy of the descriptions 
given, even in the latest American edition of McCulloch, of " the 
neighborhood of Bio de Janeiro," which " consists in a great mea- 
sure of plains" ! 



An Old Friend. 



209 



The Botanical Gardens, to which we can now easily descend, is 
situated in this romantic spot, and is reached from the city by a 
fine turnpike which leads through Botafogo and under the shadow 
of Corcovado. It is not a flower-garden, but rather a Jardin des 
Plantes, where rare exotics, from the tiniest parasite up to the loftiest 
palm, come under our inspection. Here you may behold groves of 
cinnamon and clove trees, acres of Chinese tea, the Nogaras da 
India, the bread-fruit, cacao and camphor trees, besides many others 
that are objects of great curiosity. There was one tree, half hidden 




LAG OA DAS FREITAS. 



by the dome-shaped mangueiras, that I often visited with peculiar 
emotions of pleasure. It was a small North American maj^le. As 
I looked upon that little tree, — an exotic in this distant land, where 
no wintry blasts would strip it of its foliage, where not even an 
autumnal frost would robe it in those gorgeous hues which the 
flowers of this summer clime hardly surpass, — I could sympathize 
with the Bedouin of the desert who, upon beholding the palm-tree 
in the Jardin des Plantes of Paris, was transported far over moun- 
tain and sea to the country of his nativity. The most surprising 
sight to the Northern stranger in the Botanical Gardens is the long 
avenue of the Palma Eeal, (Oreodoxa regia,) which we enter from 
the great gate, and which, in its regularity, extent, and beauty, is 

14 



210 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



unrivalled. It is a colonnade of natural Corinthian columns, whose 
graceful, bright-green capitals seem to support a portion of the 
blue dome that arches above. 

But the sun's last rays are empurpling the granite peaks around 
us, and, after a gallop through the villa-lined San Clemente, we 
reach Botafogo. The lamps are already twinkling, and throw 
their light upon the edge of that graceful little bay where the gay 
regatta holds its annual festivity. Five minutes more, we dismount 
at the Hotel dos Estrangeiros; and thus we have accomplished the 
entire circuit of the city San Sebastian de Bio de Janeiro. 



CHAPTEE XII. 



THE CAMPO SANTA ANNA — THE OPENING OP THE ASSEMBLEA GERAL — HISTORY OF 

EVENTS SUCCEEDING THE ACCLAMATION OF DOM PEDRO II. THE REGENCY 

CONSTITUTIONAL REFORM CONDITION OF POLITICAL PARTIES BEFORE THE 

REVOLUTION OF 1840 — DEBATES IN THE HOUSE OF DEPUTIES — ATTEMPT AT 
PROROGATION — MOVEMENT OF ANTONIO CARLOS — DEPUTATION TO THE EMPEROR 
PERMANENT SESSION ACCLAMATION OF DOM PEDRO'S MAJORITY — THE ASSEM- 
BLY'S PROCLAMATION — REJOICINGS — NEW MINISTRY — PUBLIC CONGRATULATIONS 

REAL STATE OF THINGS MINISTERIAL PROGRAMME PREPARATIONS FOR THE 

CORONATION — CHANGE OF MINISTRY — OPPOSITION COME INTO POWER — CORONA- 
TION POSTPONED SPLENDOR OF THE CORONATION — FINANCIAL EMBARRASS- 
MENTS — DIPLOMACY — DISSOLUTION OF THE CAMARA PRETEXT OF OUTBREAKS — 

COUNCIL OF STATE RESTORATION OF ORDER — SESSIONS OF THE ASSEMBLY 

IMPERIAL MARRIAGES — MINISTERIAL CHANGE PRESENT CONDITION. 

The usual carriage-route to and from Gamboa is through the 

Campo de Santa Anna. Many important public buildings are upon 

the side of this large square. The Church of S. Anna, an extensive 

garrison, the Camara Municipal, the National Museum, the Palace 

of the Senate, the Foreign Office, and one of the large opera-houses, 

are to be found on different portions of the park. It presents an 

animated scene on the 3d of May, when the session of the As- 

semblea G-eral is opened by the Emperor in person. The procession 

from St. Christovao to the Palace of the Senate is not surpassed in 

scenic effect by any similar pageant in Europe. The foot-guards, 

(halberdiers,) with their battle-axes, — the dragoons and the hussars 

in picturesque and bright uniforms, — the mounted military bands, — 

the large state-carriages, with their six caparisoned horses and 

liveried coachmen and postillions, — the chariot of the Empress, 

drawn by eight iron-grays, — the magnificent Imperial carriage, 

drawn by the same number of milk-white horses decked with 

Prince-of- Wales plumes, — and the long cavalcade of troops, — form a 

pageant worthy of the Empire. The six coaches-and-six are for 

211 



212 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



the officers of the Imperial household. Her Majesty Dona Theresa 
is surrounded by her maids of honor in their robes and trains of 
green and gold. Believing that some fair readers will be gratified 
with the details of Dona Theresa's toilette ; one who is better ac- 
quainted than I am with ladies' costume says that the habillement 
of the Empress, on state-occasions, is an under-dress of white satin, 
heavily embroidered with gold, with a profusion of rich lace falling 
deeply over the corsage and forming its sleeves. These are looped 
up with diamonds magnificent in size and lustre. The train is of 
green velvet, with embroideries in gold corresponding with those 
of the skirt. Her head-dress, with the hair worn in long ringlets 
in front, is a wreath of diamonds and emeralds in the shape of 
flowers rising into the form of a coronet over the forehead, and 
from which a white ostrich-feather falls gracefully to the shoulder. 
A broad sash, the combined ribbons of different orders, — scarlet, 
purple, and green, — crosses the bust from the right shoulder to the 
waist, above which a mass of emeralds and diamonds of the first 
water sparkles on her bosom. Her smile is one of engaging sweet- 
ness, which is not assumed on mere state-occasions, but is seen 
habitually, whether this Neapolitan princess is accompanying her 
august spouse in an afternoon ride, or whether with a single 
attendant she grants a private audience to those who desire to pay 
their homage to her majesty. 

The Emperor is indeed a Saul, — head and shoulders above his 
people ; and in his court-dress, with his crown upon his fine, fair 
brow, and his sceptre in his hand, whether receiving the salutes 
of his subjects or opening the Imperial Chambers, he is a splendid 
specimen of manhood. His height, when uncovered, is six feet four 
inches, and his head and body are beautifully proportioned : at a 
glance one can see, in that full brain and in that fine blue eye, that 
he is not a mere puppet upon the throne, but a man who thinks. 

The opening of the Chambers is always performed by His Majesty 
in person. He reads a brief address from the throne, setting forth 
the condition and necessities of the Empire, and then, pronouncing 
the session aherta, descends from the dais, followed in procession 
to his Imperial carriage by all the dignitaries of court and mem- 
bers of the Assembly. The cortege returns to San Christovao 
through streets that are decorated with hangings of crimson silk 



The Opening of the Assemblea Geral. 



213 



and satin brocade. There is not the enthusiasm attending this 
ceremony which is manifested at the inauguration of a new Presi- 
dent of the United States, but the circumstances are different : the 
opening address of the Emperor corresponds to the annual message 
of the President, and there is no occasion for the jubilatic proceed- 
ings which are the concomitant parts of an inauguration. The 
monarchial principle is deeply imbedded in the heart of the Bra- 
zilian, and, in its adaptation to them and their country, it is 
infinitely superior to republicanism. 

It is appropriate, in connection with the opening of the Assemblea 
Geral, to give a sketch of the events succeeding those which 
brought the present Emperor to the throne of Brazil. 

It will be remembered that it was in the Campo de Santa Anna 
that the citizens assembled in April, 1831, and demanded D. Pedro I. 
to restore the ministry which was the favorite of the people. Upon 
the refusal of the monarch to this request, repeatedly and respect- 
fully urged through proper magistrates, several divisions of the 
army and the national guard joined the populace. An adjutant 
was sent to the Palace of San Christovao for a final answer, which 
was given in the abdication of the monarch under circumstances 
which command our highest admiration. 

The Adjutant (Miguel de Frias Yasconcellos) returned at full 
gallop from San Christovao with the decree of abdication in his 
hand. It was received with the liveliest demonstrations of joy, 
and the morning air rang with " vivas" to Dom Pedro the Second. 

At an early hour all the Deputies and Senators in the metropolis, 
together with the ex-Ministers of State, assembled in the Senate- 
House and appointed a provisional Eegency, consisting of V ergueiro, 
Francisco de Lima, and the Marquis de Caravellas, who were to 
administer the government until the appointment of the permanent 
Eegency provided for by the Constitution. The son in favor of 
whom this abdication was made was not six years old : neverthe- 
less, he was borne in triumph to the city, and the ceremony of his 
acclamation as Emperor was performed with all imaginable enthu- 
siasm. During the progress of these events, the corps diplomatique 
had assembled at the house of the Pope's nuncio, to determine on 
what course they should take in the progressing revolution. Mr. 
Brown, the American charge d'affaires, declined being present at 



214 Brazil and the Brazilians. 



this meeting, apprehending that its special design was to protect 
the common interests of royalty. Those who met, however, agreed 
to present an address to the existing authorities, in which, after 
stating that the safety of their several countrymen was perilled in 
the midst of the popular movements then taking place, they de- 
manded for them the most explicit enjoyment of the rights and 
immunities conceded by the laws and treaties of civilized nations. 
They furthermore resolved to wait upon the ex-Emperor in a body, 
to learn from his own lips whether he had really abdicated ! 

These measures were highly offensive to the new Government, 
being considered in the light of an uncalled-for interference. That 
Government was at the same time highly pleased with the course 
pursued by Mr. Brown, and also by Mr. Gomez, the charge from 
Colombia, who dissented from the policy of the monarchial diplo- 
matic agents. The Minister of State remarked that their conduct 
was that of "true Americans." 

The 9th of April was appointed as the first court-day of Bom 
Pedro II., while the ex-Emperor still remained in the harbor. A 
Te Beum was chanted in the Imperial Chapel. The troops appeared 
in review; and an immense concourse of people, wearing leaves of 
the "arvore nacional" as a badge of loyalty, filled the streets. 
They detached the horses from the Imperial carriage, so that they 
might draw their infant sovereign with their own hands. When 
he had been conveyed to the palace he was placed in a window, 
and the unnumbered multitude passed before him. After this he 
received the personal compliments of the corps diplomatique, none 
of whom were absent, notwithstanding the recent excursion on 
board the Warspite. 

The new Government courteously offered Bom Pedro I. the use 
of a public ship. He declined it, on account of the delay and ex- 
pense that would be necessary to its outfit; remarking, at the same 
time, that his good friends, the Kings of Great Britain and France, 
could well afford him the conveyance for himself and family which 
had been offered by their respective naval commanders on that 
station. 

On the 17th of June the Assemblea Geral proceeded to the elec- 
tion of the permanent Begency. The individuals elected were Lima, 
Costa Carvalho, and Joao Braulio Muniz. The General Assembly 



The Eegency. 



215 



was occupied during this session by exciting debates on the subject 
of constitutional reform. 

Senhor Antonio Carlos de Andrada presided in the Chamber of 
Deputies. Jose Bonifacio, who had been appointed by the ex-Em- 
peror as tutor to his children, was recommissioned by the Assemblea, 
that body having decided that the former appointment was invalid. 
On accepting his charge, that distinguished Brazilian declared that 
he would receive no compensation for the services he might render 
in that important capacity, — which declaration he maintained in 
the spirit of a true patriot. 

Notwithstanding the magnitude of the revolution that had so sud- 
denly transj)ired, the public tranquillity was scarcely at all disturbed. 

On the 7th of October official despatches arrived, bringing the 
congratulations of the Government of the United States upon the 
new order of things. This was the first demonstration of the senti- 
ments of other nations that was communicated at the Brazilian 
court, and as such was received with peculiar satisfaction. 

In the month of April, 1832, two military riots occurred in Eio 
de Janeiro, and in July following the Minister of Justice, in his 
public report, seized the occasion to denounce the venerable Jose 
Bonifacio, on suspicion of his having connived at the preceding 
disturbances. The report of a committee in the Camara dos Depu- 
tados demanded his dismission without a hearing. The Camara 
agreed to this by a bare majority, but the Senate dissented, and 
that plot for degrading Andrada failed. The Eegents sent in their 
resignation to the General Assembly. * A deputation from the 
Chamber of Deputies besought them to remain in office. They 
consented, but immediately organized a new ministry. 

The next year, however, the opposition triumphed, not in verify- 
ing these unjust accusations, but in deposing the old patriot as 
tutor to the young Emperor. 

The year 1834 was celebrated on account of the important 
changes that were made in the Constitution of the Empire. One 
of these created annual assemblies in the provinces, instead of the 
general councils before held. The members of the provincial 
assemblies were to be elected once in two years. Another abo- 
lished the triple Eegency, and again conferred that office upon a 
single individual, to be elected once in four years. 



216 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

After the election for Sole Eegent took place, the Senate delayed 
for a long time the announcement of the successful candidate; but 
at length it was made known that Diogo Antonio Feijo, of San 
Paulo, had received a large majority of the electoral votes. Feijo, 
although a priest, had been for many years engaged in political 
life, and only two years before had been elected a Senator. One 
of the last acts of the preceding administration had been to appoint 
him Bishop of Mariana, a diocese including the rich province of the 
Minas. Feijo was installed Sole Begent on the 12th of October, 
1835. On the 24th he issued a judicious proclamation to the Bra- 
zilian people, setting forth the principles that he intended to observe 
in his administration. 

The agitated question of the Begency being settled, affairs as- 
sumed a more permanent aspect. Several foreign nations, at this 
juncture, advanced their diplomatic agents to the highest grade. 
The United States were desired to do the same, but did not consent. 

In 1836 the Government, among other suggestions for the public 
good, proposed to employ Moravian missionaries to catechize the 
Indians of the interior. This measure, together with every other ori- 
ginated by this administration, was opposed with the utmost rancor 
and bitterness by Vasconcellos, a veteran politician of great abili- 
ties and uncommon eloquence, but of doubtful princij)les and bad 
morals. Notwithstanding the arts and power of Yasconcellos, the 
leading measure of the administration prevailed. This was a loan 
of two thousand contos of reis (£200,000) for the temporary relief 
of the treasury. Open and active rebellions were at this time in 
progress in Bio Grande do Sul, and also in Para. Their influence, 
however, was scarcely apparent at the capital, where every thing 
seemed quiet and prosperous. The General Assembly was slow in 
making provision to suppress these outbreaks, and when they were 
about to adjourn Feijo prolonged the session a month, "that the 
members might do their duty." Movements for the abolition of 
the Begency, and the installation of the young Emperor, had 
already commenced, even at this early day. At times, and in 
favorable circumstances, they became more apparent. 

Feijo' s administration was not calculated to be popular. His 
character partook of the old Boman sternness. When he had once 
marked out a course for himself, he followed it against all opposi- 



Condition of Parties. 



217 



tion. Disinclined to ostentation himself, he did not countenance it 
in others. He neither practised nor abetted the usual arts of nat- 
tering the popular will. He sometimes changed his ministers, but 
his advisers seldom or never. At length, so embarrassed did he 
find himself between the rebellion of Rio Grande and the factious 
opposition that checked his measures for repressing it, that he 
determined to retire from his office. 

On the 17th of September, 1887, Eeijo abdicated the Regency, 
and the opposition party came into power. Pedro Araujo Lima, 
then minister of the Empire, assumed the Regency by virtue of a 
provision of the Constitution, although Vasconcellos was the prime 
mover in the new order of affairs. Z*vo commotion took place, and 
it was evident that the strength of the new Government consisted 
in union. A different policy was adopted toward the boy Emperor. 
Feijo had been distant and unceremonious; the new administration 
became over-attentive. More display was made on public occasions, 
and the inclinations of a people passionately fond of the pomp and 
circumstance of royalty began to be fully gratified. In October, 
1838, the votes of the new election were canvassed, and Lima was 
installed Regent. His term of office was to cover the minority of 
the Emperor. 

Whether the Regent himself expected such a result or not, it 
soon became apparent that the dignity of his office was quite 
eclipsed by the new honors with which the young sovereign was 
complimented. The frequent changes of ministry hitherto had 
embarrassed the diplomacy of the Brazilian Government, and had 
caused much dissatisfaction to foreign powers, who were unwilling 
to see their claims neglected from any cause. By degrees, how- 
ever, the foreign as well as the internal affairs of the Government 
became more permanently adjusted. 

The year 1840 was signalized in Brazil by a new and startling 
political revolution, which resulted in the abolition of the Regency. 
The Emperor, Dom Pedro II., was now in his fifteenth year; and 
the political party opposed to the Regent and the existing ministry 
espoused the project of declaring his minority expired, and of 
elevating him at once to the full possession of his throne. This 
project had been occasionally discussed during the last five years. 
But it had always been characterized as premature and absurd. It 



218 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



was argued that the Constitution limited the minority of the 
sovereign to the age of eighteen years, and that was early enough 
for any young man to have the task of governing so vast an Em- 
pire. On the other hand, it was urged that, as to responsibility, the 
Constitution expressly provided that none should attach itself to 
the Emperor under any circumstances. Hence an abolition of the 
Eegency would, as matter of course, devolve the powers of the 
regent upon some other officer. There would be one difference, 
however. The Eegent, as such, enjoyed the privileges of royalty 
itself, being also perfectly irresponsible. This circumstance was 
urged as a great and growing evil. However desirable it was for 
a sovereign to possess the attribute of irresponsibility, it was a 
dangerous thing for a citizen, accidentally elevated to office, to 
have the power of dispensing good or evil without expecting to 
answer for his conduct. As these subjects were discussed, much 
feeling was aroused; but the best-informed persons supposed that 
the Eegent would be able to defeat the plan laid for his overthrow. 

The debate upon the motion in the House of Deputies to declare 
the Emperor of age began early in July, and at first turned 
principally upon constitutional objections. The legislature had, in 
fact, no power to amend or overstep the Constitution. But the 
plan was arranged, minds were heated, and the passions of the 
people began to be enlisted. Violence of language prevailed, and 
personal violence began to be threatened. Antonio Carlos de 
Andrada, already described as a man of great learning and elo- 
quence, but at the same time fiery and uncontrollable, stood forth 
as the champion of the assailing party, accusing the Eegent and 
his ministry of usurpation, especially since the 11th of March, when 
the Imperial Princess, Donna Januaria, became of age. His efforts 
were powerfully resisted, but his cause rapidly gained favor both 
in the Assembly and among the people. 

G-alvao, until recently attached to the other party, made an 
impressive speech on the side of immediate acclamation as 
inevitable. 

Alvares Machado demanded that party trammels should now be 
abandoned. "The cause of the Emperor was the cause of the 
nation, and ought to receive the approbation of every lover of the 
country." 



Debates in the House of Deputies. 



219 



Navarro, a young but powerful member from Matto Grosso, fol- 
lowed in a violent and denunciatory speech, in which he stigmatized 
the Kegent, and all his acts, in the most opprobrious language. 
While in the heat of his harangue, he suddenly exclaimed, " Viva 
a maioridade de sua Majestade Imperial !" The crowded galleries 
had hitherto observed the most religious silence; but this exclama- 
tion drew forth a burst of enthusiastic and prolonged applause. 
Navarro, no longer able to make himself heard, drew his hand- 
kerchief from his bosom to respond to the vivas from the gallery. 
Members of the other party sitting near him imagined they saw a 
dagger gleaming in his hand, and, not knowing whose turn might 
come first, began to flee for their lives. One seized Navarro to 
keep him quiet; but he, not perceiving the reason of the assault, 
furiously repelled it. For a few moments the most intense and 
uncontrollable excitement prevailed; but order was soon restored. 

Crowds of people now assembled out of doors, demanding the 
elevation of the young Emperor. Some went so far as to proclaim 
his majority in the public squares of the city. The ministerial 
party desperately resisted these strange movements in the House, 
but they were unable to stave off the debate. 

Limpo de Abreo, (afterward Yisconde de Abaete,) an ex-minis- 
ter, was in favor of the Eevolution, but he wished it to be a deli- 
berate and consistent one, — at least preceded by the report of a 
committee justifying the step. After much opposition to the mea- 
sure, the committee was appointed, and a momentary calm ensued. 
During the night both parties reviewed their positions. The clubs 
and lodges held their sessions, and the opposition met in caucus. 
The Regent and his ministry were also in conclave. Yasconcellos, 
the Senator from Minas-Geraes, the veteran politician, but a man 
who had long been obnoxious on account of great moral delin- 
quencies, was called in as their counsellor. 

The session of the Chamber of Deputies next day was opened in 
the midst of the deepest anxiety. The galleries were crowded with 
people. The report of the committee was anxiously looked for, 
and indeed imperiously demanded, but did not appear. 

Navarro accused the majority of the committee of treacherously 
intending delay. He urged the immediate and unceremonious 
declaration of the Emperor's majority. He appealed to the galle- 



220 



Beazil and the Brazilians. 



ries, and received a deafening response of vivas to Dom Pedro II. 
Indescribable confusion ensued. The President of tbe Chamber 
attempted to call up the order of the day ; but it was impossible. 
The absorbing question must be discussed. The more moderate of 
the Opposition wished the young Emperor's elevation deferred till 
his birthday, — the 2d of December. The more violent exclaimed 
vehemently against any delay whatever. The debate was pro- 
tracted to an unusual length. In the midst of it a messenger 
entered, bearing documents from the Eegent. They were read by 
the Secretary. The first was a nomination of Bernardo Pereira de 
Yasconcellos as Minister of the Empire ! At the mention of the 
name of Yasconcellos, irrepressible sensations of indignation were 
apparent throughout the House. The Secretary proceeded to read 
the second document, which proved to be an act of prorogation, 
adjourning the General Assembly over from that moment to the 
20th of November following. 

Confusion and indignation were now at their height. The people 
in the galleries could not be restrained. They poured down a tor- 
rent of imprecations upon the administration, mingled with vivas 
to the majority of Dom Pedro II. Antonio Carlos, Martin Fran- 
cisco, (the two Andradas,) Limpo de Abreo, sprang to their feet, 
and one after the other entered their vehement protests against 
this act of madness on the part of the Government. They charged 
the Eegent with treason, and declared that every Brazilian should 
resist his high-handed measures. They represented Lima as 
clutching, with a death-grasp, the power that was about to escape 
from his hands. They denounced him as a usurper, willing to 
sacrifice the monarch and the throne, at the hazard of lighting up 
the flames of civil war in every corner of the Empire. Yasconcellos 
was portrayed as a monster whose name was significant of every 
vice and crime, and withal the worst enemy the Emperor had; but 
it was into his hands that the young monarch was now betrayed ! 

The President of the House attempted to enforce the Act of Pro- 
rogation, but was prevented. Antonio Carlos de Andrada now 
started forth, and called upon every Brazilian patriot to follow him 
to the halls of the Senate, — situated upon the Campo de Santa 
Anna, and nearly a mile distant. His friends in the House, and 
the people en masse, accompanied him. The multitude increased 



Acclamation of Dom Pedro II. 



221 



at every step. On the arrival of the Deputies at the Senate, the 
two Houses instantly resolved themselves into joint session, and 
appointed a deputation, with Antonio Carlos at its head, to wait 
upon the Emperor and obtain his consent to the acclamation. 
During the absence of the deputation, several of the Senators en- 
deavored to calm the passions of the people. The multitude with- 
out had increased to the number of several thousand. No soldiers 
appeared ; but the cadets of the Military Academy, in the heat of 
their juvenile enthusiasm, rushed to arms and prepared to defend 
their sovereign. 

Presently the deputation returned, and announced that, after its 
members had represented to the Emperor the state of affairs which 
existed at the present crisis, His Majesty had consented to assume 
the reins of government, and had ordered the Eegent to revoke his 
obnoxious decrees and to pronounce the Chambers again in ses- 
sion. Thunders of applause followed this announcement. The 
enthusiasm of the people knew no bounds. The country was saved, 
and no blood was shed! The citizens proceeded to congratulate 
one another upon this peaceful triumph of public opinion. 

The discussions of the Assembly turned upon the manner of con- 
summating the revolution which had thus singularly commenced. 
Lima was now stigmatized as the &r-Kegent, and was pronounced 
incompetent to reassemble the body which he had tried to pro- 
rogue. The Marquis of Paranagua, President of the Senate, 
declared that neither House was now in session, but that the mem- 
bers of both composed an august popular assemblage, personifying 
the nation, demanding that their Emperor be considered no longer 
a minor. It was finally resolved to remain in permanent session 
until His Majesty should appear and receive in their presence the 
oath prescribed by the Constitution. The Assembly consequently 
remained in the Senate-House all night. AJbody of the National 
Guards, the alumni of the Military Academy, and numerous citizens, 
also remained to guard them. 

At daylight the people generally began to reassemble. By ten 
o'clock not less than eight or ten thousand of the most respectable 
citizens surrounded the palace of the Senate. At that hour the 
President of the Assembly made a formal declaration of the objects 
of the present convocation. The rolls of both Houses were then 



222 



Brazil and the Brazilians, 



called, and the legal number, both of Senators and of Deputies, 
being found present, the President arose and said : — 

"I, as the organ of the Bepresentatives of this nation in General 
Assembly convened, declare that His Majesty Bom Pedro II. is 
from this moment in his majority, and in the full exercise of his 
constitutional prerogatives. The majority of His Majesty Senhor 
Bom Pedro II. ! Yiva Senhor Bom Pedro II., constitutional Em- 
peror and perpetual defender of Brazil ! ! Yiva Senhor Bom Pedro 
II.!! I" 

Millions of vivas from the members of the Assembly, from the 
spectators in the gallery, and from the multitude in the Campo, now 
rent the air in response, and were prolonged with indescribable 
enthusiasm and delight. Beputations were appointed to wait upon 
His Majesty when he should arrive, and to prepare a proclamation 
for the Empire. At half-past three o'clock the Imperial escort ap- 
peared. His Majesty was preceded by the dignitaries of the palace, 
and followed by his Imperial sisters. On beholding the young 
Emperor, the enthusiasm of the crowd exceeded any former limit. 
]STothing but a reiteration of vivas could be heard in the Campo 
during the whole ceremony. His Majesty was received with all 
possible formality, and conducted to the throne, near which the 
members of the diplomatic corps were already seated in their 
court-uniform. The Emperor now knelt down and received the 
oath prescribed by the Constitution ; and, after the auto de jura- 
mento was read aloud and solemnly signed, the following proclama- 
tion, already drafted by Antonio Carlos de Andrada, and approved 
by the Assembly, was now uttered : — 

"Brazilians ! — The General Legislative Assembly of Brazil, re- 
cognising that happy intellectual development with which it has 
pleased Bivine Providence to endow his Imperial Majesty Bom 
Pedro II., recognising also the inherent evils which attach them- 
selves to an unsettled government, — witnessing, moreover, the 
unanimous desire of the people of this capital, which it believes to 
be in perfect accordance with the desire of the whole Empire, — viz. : 
to confer upon our august monarch the powers which the Constitu- 
tion secures to him; therefore, in view of such important con- 
siderations, this body has, for the well-being of the country, seen 
fit to declare the majority of Bom Pedro II., so that he may enter 



Public Congratulations. 



223 



at once upon the full exercise of his powers as constitutional 
Emperor and perpetual defender of Brazil. Our august monarch 
has just taken in our presence the solemn oath required by the 
Constitution. 

"Brazilians! The hopes of the nation are converted into 
reality. A new era has dawned upon us. May it be one of 
uninterrupted union and prosperity ! May we prove worthy of so 
great a blessing !" 

After the ceremonies of the occasion had been completed, His 
Majesty proceeded to the city palace, accompanied by the National 
Guards and the people. In the evening a numerous and splendid 
reception took place, and the joy of the whole city was manifested 
by a spontaneous and most brilliant illumination. 

To the astonishment of every one, the revolution was now com- 
plete. The Eegency was abolished; perfect tranquillity prevailed ; 
and Dom Pedro II. — the boy who, when six years old, had been 
acclaimed sovereign of a vast Empire — was now at fifteen invested 
with all the prerogatives of his Imperial throne. The youthful 
Emperor was very tall for his age, but not of the handsome pro- 
portions for which he is now so distinguished. His mind was of 
an exceedingly mature cast. As a student he was, it may be said 
without any exaggeration, most remarkable in his tastes, applica- 
tion, and rapid advancement. The study of the natural sciences 
— not a mere smattering of them, but the most thorough and 
abstruse investigation — was his delight; and his facility for ac- 
quiring language was such, that this day he can converse in the 
principal tongues of Europe. It was therefore no empty phrase 
which Antonio Carlos de Andrada used when he spoke of the 
"happy intellectual development" of His young Imperial Majesty. 
He was not a mere "boy Emperor." 

The preceding year had witnessed the inauguration of steam- 
navigation along the whole Brazilian sea-coast, so that the news 
of the recent events at Eio de Janeiro was soon made known in 
every town of the extensive Atlantic board, and by special couriers 
in a few weeks the most remote parts of the wide Empire were 
sending up their vivas for Dom Pedro II. 

Congratulations were the order of the day. Every society, 
every public institution, every province, and nearly every town, 



224 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



from the capital to the remotest parts of the Empire, hastened, on 
the reception of the news, not only to celebrate the event with 
extravagant rejoicing, but also to send a deputation to utter, in the 
presence of the Emperor, their most profound sentiments of joy at 
his elevation to the sovereignty, and their cherished hopes of his 
prosperity and happiness. 

Thus was accomplished, without bloodshed, the third popular 
revolution of Brazil. The Constitution, with the exception of the 
article relating to the majority of the Emperor, remained intact. 

In regard to the peculiar form of rule of the preceding nine 
years, it may be said that there can be no doubt that the govern- 
ment of the Eegency was a benefit to Brazil. During the entire 
period of its existence it had to struggle with serious financial 
difficulties, and also with the formidable rebellion of Bio Grande 
do Sul, besides temporal outbreaks in other provinces. Neverthe- 
less, improvement became the order of the day, and, in various 
ways, was really secured. 

The personal rule of the Emperor commenced under auspicious 
circumstances. He was the object of an enthusiasm which has 
never waned. The two leaders of his first Cabinet were Antonio 
Carlos and Martin Francisco Andrada. Their elder brother, 
Jose Bonifacio, was no more. In 1833, upon his deposition as tutor 
to the Emperor, he withdrew from public life, and retired to the 
beautiful island of Paqueta in the Bay of Bio de Janeiro, where he 
died in 1838. 

Antonio Carlos at the very outset frankly and lucidly set forth 
the principles upon which the ministerial action would be based 
under the new order of things. Those principles were safe and 
consistent; and from the known energy of the Andradas, together 
with their associates, it may be presumed that no efforts were 
spared to put them in practice. 

The nation at large was exhilarated with the idea of the glorious 
revolution that had transpired; but the legislature, tired by its 
recent paroxysms, soon fell back into its old method of doing busi- 
ness. The first leading measure of the opposition was the appoint- 
ment of a Council of State, the members of which were to hold the 
office of special advisers to the Emperor. It became an immediate 
and protracted subject of discussion, but did not succeed till late in 



Preparations for the Coronation. 225 



the following year. Things throughout the Empire moved on in 
their ordinary course, save that, when the subject of the Emperor's 
elevation lost its novelty, that of his approaching coronation became 
the theme of universal interest and of unbounded anticipation. 

The early part of the year 1841 was fixed upon for the corona- 
tion. Preparations for that event were set on foot long in advance 
of the time. Expectants of honors and emoluments attempted to 
rival each other in parade and display. Extraordinary embassies 
were sent out from the different courts of Europe, in compliment 
to the Brazilian throne. 

While diplomatists and politicians were intent upon sharing the 
honors of this occasion, the artisans and shopkeepers of the me- 
tropolis displayed quite as much tact in securing the profits of it. 
Exorbitant prices were demanded for every article of ornament 
and luxury; but those articles had now become necessary, and 
aspiring poverty, not less than grudging avarice, was compelled 
to submit to extortion. 

Before the next session of the General Assembly difficulties had 
occurred which seriously embarrassed the administration. Several 
of the provinces had resisted the new appointments of presidents, 
and in so doing had manifested tendencies to revolution. But the 
most serious evil grew out of the long-standing rebellion in Eio 
Grande do Sul. In the anxiety of the Cabinet to bring this inter- 
nal war to a close, Alvares Machado had been appointed an agent 
of the Government to treat with the rebels. Much confidence had 
been reposed in his personal influence with those in revolt, and he 
had been invested with extraordinary and unconstitutional powers. 
But, with all the facilities offered them, the insurgents refused to 
compromise. Machado was then appointed President of the pro- 
vince. 

In this office, instead of wielding a rod of iron, as his predeces- 
sors had done, or had attempted to do, he adopted conciliatory 
measures, and rather entreated a negotiation. This attitude was 
stigmatized as dishonorable to the Empire, and such an outcry was 
made in regard to it as to excite general alarm lest the interests 
of the throne should be betrayed. This outcry was aimed at the 
ministry. A change was demanded, and was at length obtained. 
On the 23d of March the Andradas and their friends, with a single 

15 



226 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



exception, were dismissed; and thus those who had brought about 
the new order of things were supplanted, just in time for their op- 
ponents to secure the decorations and the emoluments that were 
soon to be distributed. 

Mortifying as this circumstance may have been in some of its 
bearings, it caused no grief to the Andradas in view of their per- 
sonal wishes. They could point to the early days of their political 
prosperity, in proof of their disinterested devotion to their country. 
They could now, as then, retire in honorable poverty, preserving 
the claim of pure patriotism as a more precious treasure than 
wealth or titles. Theirs was the distinction that would cause pos- 
terity to inquire why they did not receive the honors they had 
deserved. Other men were welcome to the ignominy of wearing 
titles they had never merited. 

When the General Assembly convened in May, it was found ex- 
pedient to postpone the coronation. Thus, for two months longer 
this anticipated fete continued to be the all-engrossing topic of 
conversation and of preparation in every circle, from the Emperor 
and Princesses down to the lowest classes. That anxiously-looked- 
for event transpired at length, on the 18th of July, 1841. It was 
magnificent beyond the expectations of the most sanguine. The 
splendor of the day itself, — the unnumbered thousands of citizens 
and strangers that thronged the streets, — the tasteful and costly 
decorations displayed in the public squares and in front of private 
houses, — the triumphal arches, — the pealing salutes of music and 
of cannon, — the perfect order and tranquillity that prevailed in the 
public processions and ceremonies of the day, together with nearly 
every thing else that could be imagined or wished, — seemed to com- 
bine and make the occasion one of the most imposing that ever 
transpired in the New World. The act of consecration was per- 
formed in the Imperial Chapel, and was followed by a levee in the 
palace of the city. The illuminations at night were upon a splen- 
did scale, and the festivities of the occasion were prolonged nine 
successive days. 

So far as pomp and parade could promote the stability of a 
Government and secure a lasting respect for a crown, every thing 
was done for Brazil on that day that possibly could be done with- 
out greater means at command. There were circumstances, how- 



The Council of State. 



227 



ever, connected with the monarchial pomp and the lavish expendi- 
tures of this coronation, which could not fail to be very embarrass- 
ing to those who had to struggle with them. The finances of the 
Empire were at the very lowest ebb, and constantly deteriorating. 
The money used in support of this grand fete, including an expense 
of one hundred thousand dollars for an Imperial crown, was bor- 
rowed, and added to an immense public debt. In addition to this, 
the Government was far from being stable and settled. Its 
councils were divided, and its policy vacillating. The existence 
of this state of things formed a principal pretext for the splendid 
demonstration alluded to. It was thought to be an object of the 
first importance to surround the throne with such a degree of 
sjnendor as would forever hallow it in the eyes of the people. 

After the coronation, the sessions of the G-eneral Assembly were 
resumed. On the 23d of November a law was passed establishing 
the Conselho de Estado. This body was modelled upon the double 
basis of the ordinary and extraordinary Privy Councils of Great 
Britain. Among the gentlemen composing this Council were Lima, 
Calmon, Carneiro Leao, and Yasconcellos. The very individuals who 
opposed the Andradas at the period of the young Emperor's eleva- 
tion, and who were then put down by acclamation, had, in the 
short space of a year, not only managed to get back into public 
favor, but also to secure life -appointments of the most influential 
kind. 

Yasconcellos, it is true, sought no titles. They were playthings 
which he could easily dispense with for the gratification of his 
fellow-partisans. But he loved power, and neither mortifications 
nor defeat diverted him an instant from its pursuit. He finally 
gained a position which probably suited his inclinations better 
than any other, and in which, as the master-spirit of the body, 
his influence must be widely felt. 

On the 1st of January, 1842, the Honorable Mr. Hunter,* United 
States Charge d' Affaires at Eio de Janeiro, presented to His Atajesty 
the Emperor his credentials as envoy-extraordinary and minister- 



* No foreign diplomatist in Brazil left warmer friends than the late Honorable 
Mr. Hunter, of Rhode Island. His accomplishments as a scholar and his affa- 
bility as a gentleman won the hearts of all. 



228 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



plenipotentiary, to which rank he had been advanced. This com- 
pliment was speedily reciprocated by the appointment of the 
Honorable Mr. Lisboa as the minister of Brazil at Washington. 

In continuance of the present historical sketch of Brazilian 
affairs, it is painful to add that the year 1842 was marked by 
repeated and serious disturbances in different parts of the Empire. 
They commenced with the elections for deputies. Yarious frauds 
had been enacted, by suddenly changing the day, hour, and places 
of elections. "What was worse, bodies of troops and armed men 
were introduced to influence votes, while crowds of voters were 
brought in from other districts. In short, bribery, corruption, and 
force triumphed over the free exercise of public opinion. It is 
not to be presumed that one party was guilty of these measures 
alone; but it appeared, in the issue, that the opposition had suc- 
ceeded and that the ministerial party was in the minority. The 
conduct of the ministry was such — though they acted with some 
degree of plausibility in regard to preventing the regular meeting 
of the Assembly and in issuing a decree for an extraordinary 
session — that the sounds of rebellion were heard in parts of the 
Empire which hitherto had been the most faithful and the most 
tranquil. San Paulo and Minas-Geraes were in commotion and 
disorder. The utmost consternation prevailed, and even at the 
capital an incendiary proclamation was posted up at the corners 
of the streets, calling upon the people to free the Emperor from 
the domination which had been imposed upon him, and to rescue 
both the throne and the Constitution from threatened annihilation. 

It is interesting to note that the Brazilians, in their internal 
commotions, put the blame in the right place, and have ever 
rallied around D. Pedro. He, on the other hand, has always 
proved, by his character and by his measures, worthy of their 
devotion. The power of the Emperor of Brazil is not like that 
of the monarch of Bussia, but is as limited as that of the sove- 
reign of the British realm. 

The Government was now driven to extreme measures. The 
militia was called out, and martial law was proclaimed in the 
three disturbed provinces. The supremacy of the law was main- 
tained. The prospects of the Empire were for a short time very 
gloomy and unpromising, but by degrees the storm blew over. 



The Imperial Marriages. 



229 



Order was gradually restored without actual hostilities or the loss 
of many lives. The worst consequences of the rebellion were expe- 
rienced in the districts where it occurred, although public con- 
fidence and the national revenue suffered severely. 

The elections at the close of the year occurred with more quiet- 
ness, and on the 1st of January, 1843, the Emperor opened the 
General Assembly in person, and a new ministry was appointed. 
From that time to this there has been a softening down of parties 
and factions ; and, though there has always been a certain amount 
of corruption and unscrupulousness in the political affairs of the 
nation, no great disturbances have affected its welfare, and there 
has been a constant tendency to obedience to law. In connection 
with this, financial difficulties were diminished and national 
prosperity increased. 

The most remarkable public events that transpired at Eio 
during the year 1843 were the Imperial marriages. They were 
celebrated with great rejoicings and all possible splendor. 

As early as July, 1842, the Emperor Dom Pedro II. had rati- 
fied a contract of marriage with Her Eoyal Highness the Most 
Serene Princess Senhora Donna Theresa Christina Maria, the 
august sister of His Majesty the King of the Two Sicilies. The 
marriage was duly solemnized at Naples, and, on the 5th of March, 
a Brazilian squadron, composed of a frigate and two corvettes, 
sailed from Eio de Janeiro to the Mediterranean, to conduct the 
Empress to her future home. 

In the mean time, on the 27th of March, a French squadron 
arrived, under the command of His Eoyal Highness Prince de Join- 
ville, son of Louis Philippe. This was Joinville's second visit to 
Brazil. Soon after his arrival he made matrimonial propositions 
to Her Imperial Highness Donna Francisca, the third sister of the 
Emperor. The customary negotiations were closed with despatch. 
On the 1st of May the marriage was solemnized at Boa Yista. 
On the 13th of May the Prince and his Imperial bride sailed for 
Europe. 

The Empress Donna Theresa arrived at Eio on the 3d of Sep- 
tember, and was received not only with magnificent ceremonies, 
but also with sincere cordiality on the part of the Brazilians. 

It may be mentioned here that the eldest sister of D. Pedro II., 



230 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Donna Maria, Queen of Portugal, had previously taken, as her 
royal consort, Prince Fernando Augusto, of Saxe-Coburg Gotha; 
and on the 28th of April, 1844, Her Imperial Highness Donna 
Januaria was also married to a Neapolitan prince, — the Count 
of Aquilla, brother to the Empress of Brazil and the King of the 
Two Sicilies. Thus, in the course of a single year, the Imperial 
family of Brazil contracted honorable and nattering alliances with 
the courts of Europe. 

In.1844, Brazil was rejoiced by the birth of the Imperial Prince 
Dom Affonso j but his untimely death the following year brought 
mourning upon the nation. In 1846, the Princess Isabella (the 
present heir-presumptive) was born, and, in 1847, her sister, the 
Donna Leopoldina. In case of the death of these princesses, and 
the demise of the Emperor without other issue, the Constitution 
provides that the eldest child (Donna Januaria) shall be heir to 
the Imperial throne. 

In 1850, the slave-trade (which had continued despite solemn 
treaties) was effectually put down ; and, soon after, a number of the 
leading dealers in the inhuman traffic — men who had hitherto held 
high position in society — were banished. 

The same year witnessed the first steamship-line to Europe ; 
and now the Empire is united to the Old World by no less than 
eight lines. 

For the last ten years the progress of Brazil has been onward. 
Her public credit abroad is of the highest character. Internal 
improvements have been projected and are being executed on a 
large scale ; tranquillity has prevailed', undisturbed by the slightest 
provincial revolt; party spirit has lost its early virulence; the 
attention of all is more than ever directed to the peaceful triumphs 
of agriculture and legitimate commerce j public instruction is being 
more widely diffused ; and, though much is yet required to elevate 
the masses, still, if Brazil shall continue to carry out the principles 
of her noble Constitution, and if education and morality shall 
abound in her borders, she will in due time take position in the 
first rank of nations. 



CHAPTEE XIII. 



THE EMPEROR OF BRAZIL — HIS REMARKABLE TALENTS AND ACQUIREMENTS — NEW 
YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY — THE FIRST SIGHT OF D. PEDRO II. — AN EMPEROR 

ON BOARD AN AMERICAN STEAMSHIP CAPTAIN FOSTER AND THE "CITY OF 

PITTSBURG" — HOW D. PEDRO II. WAS RECEIVED BY THE "SOVEREIGNS" — AN 

EXHIBITION OF AMERICAN ARTS AND MANUFACTURES DIFFICULTIES OVERCOME 

VISIT OF THE EMPEROR HIS KNOWLEDGE OF AMERICAN AUTHORS — SUCCESS 

AMONG THE PEOPLE — VISIT TO THE PALACE OF S. CHRISTOVAO — LONGFELLOW, 
HAWTHORNE, AND WEBSTER. 

We naturally turn with interest and a laudable curiosity to look 
at the character and abilities of the monarch who has been called 
by Providence to the head of a growing nation. The Emperor of 
Brazil, by the various limits of the Constitution, has not the scope 
for kingcraft that is the heritage of Alexander II. or the achieve- 
ment of Napoleon III. The life of some crowned heads is only an 
official one; very few of the Dei gratia rulers possess intrinsic 
merit : they are educated, refined, and may or may not be affable. 
In the eye of the legitimist their chief distinction is the blood which 
has coursed through the veins of generations of kings. He who is 
situated half-way between the legitimist and the red republican 
regards with a greater or less degree of veneration the repre- 
sentative of executive power which he beholds in the ruler, and is 
possibly excited to a certain admiration by the amiable and bene- 
volent character which he who sits upon the throne may possess. 
But it is very rare, in the history of nations, to find a monarch 
who combines all that the most scrupulous legitimist would exact, 
who is limited by all the checks that a constitutionalist would 
require, and yet has the greatest claim for the respect of his sub- 
jects and the admiration of the world, in his native talent and in 
his acquisitions in science and literature. These rare combinations 
meet in Dom Pedro II. In his veins courses the united blood of 

231 



232 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



the Braganzas, the Bourbons, and the Hapsburgs. By marriage 
he is related to the Royal and Imperial families of England, 
France, Bussia, Spain, and Naples. His father (Dom Pedro I.) 
was an energetic Braganza; his mother (Donna Leopoldina) a 
Hapsburg, and sister-in-law to Napoleon I. His relatives, it will 
be seen, are of every grade, — from the constitutional monarch to 
the most absolute ruler. 

His powers, modified by the Brazilian Constitution, have already 
been considered; and it remains to point out his chief and com- 
manding title to the regard of his nation and the world. 

He has devoted much time to the science of chemistry, and his 
laboratory at San Christovao is always the scene of new experi- 
ments. Lieutenant Strain, the noble hero of the Darien Expedi- 
tion, — whose science is as well known as his kindness and bravery, 
— informed me that, on a visit to Bio de Janeiro more than ten 
years ago, he found the Emperor a thorough devotee to the studies 
of natural phenomena. Dr. Beinhardt — who has spent many years 
in Brazil as a naturalist — visited the capital of the Empire when 
D. Pedro II. was not yet out of his teens : the latter heard that an 
American savant was about to enter upon a scientific exploration 
of the Empire, and sent for him to aid him in performing certain 
new chemical experiments, accounts of which had been perused by 
his Majesty in the European journals of science. Dr. Beinhardt 
further added, that the young monarch, in his enthusiasm, paid no 
attention to the time that flew by as they, in a tropic clime and a 
close room, were cooped up for hours over fumigating chemicals. 

It is well known at Bio de Janeiro that he is a good topo- 
graphical engineer, and his theoretical knowledge of perspective is 
sometimes put in practice; for the German Prince Adalbert, in 
the published account of his visit to Brazil, states that the Emperor 
presented him with a very creditable painting from the Imperial 
palette. He has a great penchant for philological studies. I have 
heard him speak three different languages, and know, by report, 
that he converses in three more; and, so far as translating is con- 
cerned, he is acquainted with every principal European tongue 
His library abounds in the best histories, biographies, and encyclo- 
pedias. Some one has remarked that a stranger can scarcely start 
a subject in regard to his own country that would be foreign to 



The Accomplishments of D. Pedro II. 



233 



Dom Pedro II. There is not a session of the Brazilian Historical 
Society from which he is absent; and he is familiar with the modern 
literature of England, Germany, and the United States, to a degree 
of minuteness absolutely surprising. When Lamartine's appeal for 
assistance was wafted over the waters, it was the Emperor of 
Brazil who rendered him greater material aid than any other, by 
subscribing for five thousand copies of his work, for which he 
remitted to the sensitive litterateur one hundred thousand francs. 
His favorite modern poet is Mr. Longfellow, for whom he has an 
unbounded admiration. 

In literature and science he is not, however, confined to large 
tomes, but a portion of each morning is allotted to the perusal 
of foreign periodicals and journals, as well as the publications 
of Brazil. That which emanates from his own pen is rarely seen ; 
but I have before me some original lines by the monarch, which a 
member of the diplomatic corps at Eio copied from the album 
of one of the Imperial household. They were doubtless never 
intended for the public eye; but the justness of their sentiment in 
English, if not the mellifluousness of their Portuguese, is appre- 
ciable by every reader of this work. (See Appendix.) 

In 1856, the Honorable Luther Bradish, the accomplished and 
dignified presiding officer of the New York Historical Society, at 
the June meeting of that association, proposed Dom Pedro II. as 
an honorary member of that learned body. The proposition was 
seconded by Marshal S. Bidwell, Esq., and I need hardly add that 
the vote was carried by acclamation. The same society, on a sub- 
sequent evening, was briefly addressed by the Eev. Dr. Osgood, 
whose remark in regard to the Emperor of Brazil is as true as it 
is forcible : — " Dom Pedro II., by his character, and by his taste, 
application, and acquisitions in literature and science, ascends from 
his mere fortuitous position as Emperor, and takes his place in the 
world as a man." 

The Brazilian ruler receives his talents in a direct line : Dom 
Pedro I. was a man of great energy and ability, and Donna Leo- 
poldina was not without some of that power which characterized 
Maria Theresa. The early studies of Dom Pedro II. were con- 
ducted by the Franklin of Brazil, — Jose Bonifacio de Andrada ; 
and we know not how much his tastes for science may have been 



234 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



influenced by that ardent admirer of the study of nature. His 
mind early became imbued .with such pursuits, and, when growing 
up to manhood, as we have already seen, he omitted no oppor- 
tunity for making additions to his store of knowledge. 

The first time that I saw the Emperor he was in citizen's dress, 
accompanied by the Empress. They were in a coach-and-six, pre- 
ceded and followed by horse-guards. He likes a rapid movement, 
and, whether on horseback or in a carriage, his chamberlains and 
guards are kept at a pace contrary to the usual manifestations 
of activity among the Brazilians. Two of the dragoons precede 
the coach at full gallop, and, at the blast of their bugles, the street 
is cleared of every encumbrance in the shape of promeoaders and 
vehicles. It has, however, occurred to me that the neck-muscles 
of their Majesties must be exceedingly fatigued after their frequent 
city and suburban rides, for the humblest subject who salutes them 
is reciprocated in his attention. Their usual afternoon-drive is 
through the Catete and Botafogo to the Botanical Garden. 

A combination of circumstances brought me afterward into a 
much closer relation with his Majesty than as a mere spectator 
of his fine form when he passed rapidly by. In 1852, during the 
temporary absence of Mr. Ferdinand Coxe, the Secretary of the 
United States Legation at Bio de Janeiro, I was chosen to fill his 
place, and finally, after his resignation, I was appointed Acting 
Secretary. In September, 1852, it became my duty to go to the 
Palace of San Christovao in company with Governor Kent, who, in 
the absence of the Minister-Plenipotentiary, held the post of Charge 
d' Affaires in addition to that of American Consul. The occasion 
that demanded this official visit of Governor Kent was, in accord- 
ance with court-etiquette, to thank his Majesty for having accepted 
the invitation of the American Captain Foster to visit the " City 
of Pittsburg." This large merchant-steamer was on its way to 
California via the Straits of Majellan, and, while stopping for coals 
in the harbor of Bio de Janeiro, the captain invited the Emperor 
and his court to an excursion on board the splendid specimen of 
American naval architecture under his command. The Emperor 
having signified his acceptance, all was made ready, and, at eleven 
o'clock, the guns of the forts and of the men-of-war told that the 
Imperial party were embarking in the state-barges for the steamer. 



The Emperor on an American Steamer. 235 

The day was most beautiful, and Captain Foster spared no pains in 
adorning his fine steamer in a manner worthy of his guests. Flags 
and streamers were suspended from every mast, the standards of 
the North American Eepublic and the South American Empire 
floated in unison, while a full orchestra from the flower-strewn 
deck sent forth the national anthems of Brazil and the Union. 
When the barges reached the " City of Pittsburg," Captain 
Foster, with the American Charge d' Affaires by his side, received 
the Emperor, and, when welcoming him on board, placed the 
steamer at his Majesty's order. 

Dom Pedro II. was accompanied by the Empress, and also by 
the Cabinet Ministers, the Imperial household, and the chief 
officers of the army and navy. All were in full court-dress, with 
the exception of their Majesties. 

The excursion was of unusual interest. The fine steamer of 
twenty-two hundred tons ploughed her way through the various 
anchorages until she reached the men-of-war; the cannon of the 
forts saluted her as she passed, and the vessels-of-war not only 
sent forth their booming salvos, but the yards were manned, and 
the sailors shouted their loud vivas to D. Pedro II. In the mean 
while, the Emperor examined the " City of Pittsburg" from the coal- 
bunkers to her engine ; and, as it fell to my duty to make many of 
the explanations, it afforded an opportunity for observing the man 
and forgetting the unbending features of the Emperor. He was 
not content with beholding the mere upper-works of the machinery, 
but descended into the hot and oily quarters of the lower part 
of the ship, where the most intricate portion of the engine was 
situated: a half-hour was afterward devoted to studying the 
engraved plan of the machinery, which was further explained by 
the chief engineer of the steamer, and by Mr. Grundy, an English 
engineer, who has long been connected with the Brazilian navy. 

When the investigation of the engine was concluded, the Emperor 
wished to visit the forward-deck. Now, Americans are the vainest 
people in the world, and we were all afraid that on this part of 
the vessel Dom Pedro would not only be shocked with the ap- 
pearance of some very rough specimens of humanity on their way 
to the gold- regions of the Pacific, but that the said specimens would 
not give His Majesty the reception which was due to his station as 



236 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



the Executive head of the most powerful South American Govern- 
ment. The Emperor's attention, however, could not be diverted to 
a different point; and the captain, fearing and trembling, was led 
to the forward-deck. There, upon the taffrail, sat representatives 
of the New York "Mose," the Philadelphia "Killer," and the Balti- 
more " Plug-ugly." The captain's heart sank within him : he was 
proud of his ship, proud of his illustrious guest, but he had very 
little to be proud of in some of his passengers, — especially the 
unkempt and unterrified, who were even more picturesque after 
their voyage than upon election-day. The Emperor now ap- 
proached the sovereigns, — ay, near enough to have them " betwixt 
the wind and his nobility." Then occurred a scene, rich beyond 
description, which could never have taken place with others than 
Americans for actors. One of the unshaven, whose tobacco had, 
up to this time, occupied the greater portion of his mouth and 
thoughts, suddenly tumbled from the taffrail, discharged his quid 
into the ocean, and, hat in hand, yelled forth, in a well-meaning 
but terrific voice, "Boys, three cheers for the Emperor of the 
Brazils !" In a twinkle of an eye every California]! was upon his 
feet; and never, in their oft-fought battles for the "glorious Demo- 
cracy," did they send forth such round and hearty huzzas as they 
did that day to D. Pedro II. The suddenness, the earnestness, the 
good intention, and the enthusiasm of the whole procedure were 
most mirth-provoking. The captain's fears subsided : his pons asi- 
norum was crossed, and he took breath and laughed freely. The 
Emperor returned the impromptu salute with great respect, and, 
for the occasion, with becoming gravity. 

The Empress and her suite were not less pleased with the com- 
modious saloons and richly-decorated cabins of the steamer than 
her Imperial spouse had been with all its mechanical appoint- 
ments. 

The "City of Pittsburg'' was at the command of the Emperor; 
but on we steamed, notwithstanding a portion of the court became 
exceedingly sea-sick. His Majesty was too well pleased with his 
new floating-dominion to resign it so soon; and thus we passed ten 
miles beyond the Sugar-Loaf before the order was given to return. 
The panorama of coast-mountains never appeared to me more 
magnificent than on that bright September day. 



How the ''Sovereigns" receive an Emperor. 2-37 

The captain had prepared a sumptuous collation, but there was 
an obstacle which seemed more difficult to surmount than tho 
forward-deck. The Imperial pair were not even in the habit of 
dining with their suite, and, except on rare state-occasions, eminent 
Ministers-Plenipotentiary had never been invited to partake of a 
repast in the same room with their Majesties. There was no pre- 
cedent of a collation having been given on the deck of an American 
vessel, and, above all, on board of a mere commercial ship. No 
one liked the idea of consulting the Emperor about an affair ap- 
parently so trifling as to the manner in which he desired to eat, 
and therefore Captain Foster, who is as modest as he is hospitable, 
took the whole matter into his own hands and made a precedent. 
The "City of Pittsburg" was constructively a part of the United 
States, and the captain was determined to do the honors of his 
country as he would have done them on the banks of the Hudson. 
Their Majesties were accommodated with an entire table to them- 
selves, which, like six others in the ship, was separated from its 
fellows by the space of two feet. The American party occupied 
the adjoining table; the ministers and noblemen were seated at 
another in a different part of the saloon, while the chamberlains 
stood near the Emperor. Perhaps D. Pedro had no objection to 
the proximity of the Americans, considering that they were all 
" sovereigns." Captain Foster, who spoke French, proposed, with 
a dignity becoming the occasion, the health of their Majesties; 
and all passed off as easily and as happily as if there had been 
a thousand and one ceremonies and precedents to have been 
supported and followed. 

We entered the harbor amid the booming of cannon, and at 
sunset the Imperial party again embarked in the state-barges, 
having spent what they afterward declared to have been one 
of the most agreeable days of their lives. Again and again have 
I heard their Majesties express their remembrance of that excur- 
sion; and none of Captain Foster's personal friends felt a deeper 
sympathy for him than did D. Pedro II. and Donna Theresa when 
they learned, through the public journals, the sad fate of the "City 
of Pittsburg" in the harbor of Valparaiso. 

In 1854, I returned for a few months to the United States. 
Having often had occasion while in Brazil to remark the igno- 



238 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



ranee which prevailed in regard to my own country, and the reci- 
procal ignorance of the people of the United States in regard to 
Brazil, I desired to do all that was in the power of a single indi- 
vidual to remove erroneous impressions and to bring about a 
better understanding between the two countries. There were 
higher objects in view than the mere diffusion of knowledge and 
the promotion of commerce; and, now that two years have elapsed 
since this little effort was undertaken, I have the satisfaction of 
knowing that new avenues of reciprocity have been opened, that 
school-books have been prepared for Brazil in the American style, 
and that thousands of dollars' worth of some of the articles dis- 
played have been ordered since 1855. 

I shall here introduce, even at the hazard of some repetition, the 
greater part of a letter addressed to the "New York Journal of Com- 
merce" and the " Philadelphia Ledger," which gives an account of 
the effort to which I have referred. It is on my part due to others to 
premise that many did not fully understand the proposed enter- 
prise, and, after hearing of its success, regretted that they had not 
had an opportunity of being represented in the " Exposition" at 
the capital of Brazil. 

"Rio de Janeiro, May 23, 1855. 
"Messrs. Editors : — [After a few preliminary remarks, I wrote 
as follows:] The motives which prompted me to undertake this 
affair were simply the good of the United States and Brazil, When 
laboring for several years as a missionary-chaplain at Bio de 
Janeiro, I found great ignorance in regard to our country, its pro- 
gress, and its producing-resources. I also discovered a reciprocal 
ignorance in the United States concerning Brazil. In the latter 
country we were known as a bold, hardy race, which consumed 
two-thirds of the Brazilian coffee-crop, for which we sent, in return, 
flour and a few articles of no great note. In the United States, 
Brazil was often classed among the Spanish countries of America : 
few people were aware that the Portuguese language was spoken, 
and that here was the only monarchy in America, and the only 
other constitutional Government on the Western continent which 
has marched forward in tranquillity and material prosperity. I here 
found English, G-erman, and French goods and publications, with 
some few exceptions, the mode, — and this, too, when many of the 



Exposition of American Manufactures at Rio. 239 

same articles were to be bought cheaper in the United States; and 
I also ascertained that our ships often came in ballast for coffee, 
paying for it cash at most exorbitant rates of exchange, when 
European vessels brought cargoes at a profit in payment for the 
chief staples of Brazil. 

"In Brazil I found a very great want of school-books. In Chili 
and New Grenada I saw Spanish books published by Messrs. Ap- 
pleton, and I desired to see the same for the youth of Brazil, where 
very great attention is awakening to the subject of education. I 
observed here scientific societies which rank, in dignity and devo- 
tion to belles-lettres, with the New York Historical Society, and like 
associations of our own land. 

"It was my ardent wish, first, to see this seven millions of 
tolerant people possessing sound morality and true religion. It 
was my next desire to see men of science and learning in Brazil 
linked with the kindred spirits of our vigorous land; to behold 
good school-books in the hands of Brazilian children; and to see 
our manufactures taking their stand in this country, which is so 
great a consumer. 

"In 1854, on account of the ill health of a member of my family, 
I was compelled to leave suddenly my field of labor for the United 
States. There, after several months, it became evident that I 
should have to abandon the land of my adoption. It was, how- 
ever, necessary for me to return to Brazil, in order to settle up my 
affairs. It was then that, through the public journals, I offered 
my services to convey to Eio de Janeiro, free of charge to the 
donors, any articles that might be sent to my address. These 
objects I solicited for the Emperor, for scientific and literary asso- 
ciations, and for exposition to the public. I was a clergyman, and 
I thought that no one could accuse me of speculation. For two 
months was I, more or less, engaged at my own expense in making 
solicitations in person, as well as by the press and by letters. I 
regret to say that many persons who should have been interested 
in such an enterprise did not choose to respond to the solicitations 
of an unknown name, and thus the Exposition was not so rich 
in some departments as it otherwise would have been, although 
I with pleasure record that there were some influential men who 
leut the weight of their names to the project. 



240 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



"At length a number of artists, publishers, merchants, and manu- 
facturers were induced to send specimens of books, engravings, 
sculpture, and manufactures ; but these were few in comparison to 
those who might have contributed to their own future benefit. 

"Messrs. Corner & Sons, of Baltimore, generously placed their 
bark at my disposal for a free passage. In the month of March, 
the good bark 'Huntingdon' left Baltimore with my packages on 
board. Bobert C. Wright, Esq., of that city, and his first clerk, 
Mr. W. B. Jackson, did every thing in their power to facilitate the 
enterprise, and to them more than to others I am indebted for 
the successful consummation of my desired object. In April we 
arrived at Bio de Janeiro, and for three weeks I had such vexation 
and delay that I almost despaired of a prosperous termination. 
Through the kindness of Senhor Carvalho de Moreiro, then Bra- 
zilian Minister at Washington, and by a letter from Hon. William 
Trousdale, the American Minister here, my boxes and packages 
were admitted free of duty. The custom-house regulations of this 
country are exceedingly strict, and I had to give an account of 
every thing that I had brought for the statistical purpose of the 
Minister of Finance. As I had no list of the articles nor of their 
values, as many of the boxes contained one hundred different 
tightly-made packages, and as there were many objects of a fragile 
nature, and as every thing had to be opened by officers who might 
not be the most careful, I suffered mentally and physically both 
before and after the examination. It was no easy matter to undo 
so many parcels, and it was hard to restore again some fine speci- 
mens after a clumsy underling had put a nail through them. 

"The chief collector of the custom-house believed, from the day 
that I arrived until the day of the examination, that I was medi- 
tating some plot against the finances of the country, and openly 
told some of the merchants that I intended to sell these things. 
[That gentleman afterward became a very warm and an attentive 
friend.] But when I had patiently assisted in opening for examina- 
tion box after box, and we came to one containing the splendid 
photographs of Fredericks & Gurney, the chief examiner said to 
one of the others, 1 Go call the second collector.' He came, and, 
after expressing his astonishment at such perfection in photography, 
he sent for the collector-in-chief. This latter gentleman left his 



Obstacles Overcome. 



241 



platform in the large public hall of the custom-house, and found his 
way to the store-room. His admiration knew no bounds when he 
saw the large life-sized photograph of Webster, — the last likeness 
of the great statesman. From this time onward, his suspicions in 
regard to my project ceased. He looked with great pleasure into 
Colton's fine maps, and delighted in a critical examination of the 
exquisite bank-note engraving of Danforth & Wright and that of 
Toppan & Carpenter, who had contributed some most beautiful 
specimens of this mingling of the beautiful with the useful in art. 
The examination and noting down the contents of the boxes went 
on very swiftly from the time of this visit of the chief collector. 




THE NATIONAL MUSEUM. 

" One week after the custom-house was cleared, I received an order 
from the Minister of the Empire, granting me a large hall in the 
National Museum, for the purposes of an Exposition. The same 
day I went to the palace, and communicated to the Emperor that 
I should be ready to receive him at eleven a.m. next day, (May 16,) 

16 



242 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



at the Museum. His Majesty received me, it seemed to me, with 
more amiability than his usual serious countenance indicated, and 
I soon discovered, from a remark which he made, that I was in- 
debted to His Excellency Senhor Carvalho de Moreiro for a full 
explanation to His Majesty of my project, which was on my part 
far more philanthropic than commercial. 

"That night sleep did not visit me, so busily was I engaged in 
the arrangement of the whole affair. The next day, at five minutes 
before eleven, (His Majesty is noted for his punctuality,) I heard 
the well-known bugle-blast of the Imperial horse-guards; and, before 
my assistants had time to withdraw, the coaches containing Dom 
Pedro II. and the chamberlains drew up at the Museum. 

"By the aid of some kind friends, I had so disposed the six hun- 
dred different objects that the exhibition was not wanting in an 
imposing appearance. The American and Brazilian flags fell in 
graceful folds over the portrait of Washington and the likenesses 
of the Emperor and his father. The maps of Colton and others, 
and engravings from New York, Philadelphia, and Boston, covered 
the walls. Books and small manufactured articles occupied tables; 
beautifully-designed wall-papers and sample-books of mousseline de 
laines were suspended; and large agricultural implements were 
arranged on platforms provided for the occasion. 

"His Majesty commenced at one end, and with great earnestness 
and interest examined every thing in detail. He made many in- 
quiries, and manifested a most intimate knowledge with the pro- 
gress of our country. He was filled with admiration at the 
specimens of books, steel engravings, chromo-lithography, (of 
Philadelphia,) and agricultural implements. Every now and then 
you might have heard him calling to some of his noblemen or 
chamberlains to come and admire with him this or that work of 
the useful or beautiful arts. He was not, however, indiscriminate 
in his praise, but was perfectly frank in his criticism. 

"Being himself a thorough student of physical science, and a 
good engineer, he examined with minuteness the splendid edition 
of the United States Coast Survey, from the bureau of the United 
States Coast Survey, Washington; and he appreciated at their 
just value the various scientific works that occupied a conspi- 
cuous table. 



Admiration for Mr. Longfellow. 



243 



"For half an hour he pored over Youman's Atlas of Chemistry, 
and praised its thorough excellence and simplicity. While exa- 
mining a work on physiology, I heard him remarking upon the 
superiority of the Craniology by the late Dr. Morton; and he in- 
formed me that he possessed the writings of that eminent student 
of the human frame. He was also well read in the immense tomes 
of the pains-taking, erudite, and conscientious Schoolcraft, whose 
works on the aborigines of North America were sent out by the 
Chief of the Bureau of Indian Affairs at Washington. 

"His Majesty was deeply interested in the various maps, geo- 
graphies, and school-books sent out by Colton, Appletons, Wood- 
ford & Brace, T. Cowperthwait, and Barnes. The finely-illustrated 
publications of the various benevolent societies of our land were 
sent out for the Imperial family, and attracted deserved attention. 
The Emperor was much pleased with the only specimens of wood- 
engraving, which were forwarded by Mr. Yan Ingen, of the firm of 
Yan Ingen & Snyder, whose skill has illustrated this work. 

"The earnest examination which he gave the machinery, manu- 
factures, and agricultural implements justified the reputation 
which Dom Pedro II. enjoys in this respect. Howell's wall-papers, 
after drawings by the students of the Philadelphia Academy of 
Design, and the beautiful silk manufactures of Horstmann and 
Evans, — which ought to be classed among works of art, — called 
forth much praise. 

"He next approached the table where were the books presented 
by the Appletons and Parry & McMillan. Taking up the 'Kepub- 
lican Court/ he said, <I am astonished at such perfection in bind- 
ing.' I replied, ' And none of those volumes were bound expressly 
for your Majesty." The binding of Appletons' books was superb. 
He opened the ' Homes of the American Authors,' and surprised 
me by his knowledge of our literature. He made remarks on Ir- 
ving, Cooper, and Prescott, — showing an intimate acquaintance 
with each. His eye falling on the name of Longfellow, he asked 
me, with great haste and eagerness, i Avez-vouz les poemes de 
Monsieur Longfellow ?' It was the first time that I ever saw Dom 
Pedro II. manifest an enthusiasm which, in its earnestness and 
simplicity, resembled the warmth of childhood when about to 
possess itself of some long-cherished object. I replied, < I believe 



244 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



not, your Majesty/ 'Oh.,' said he, 'I am exceedingly sorry, for 
I have sought in every bookstore of Bio de Janeiro for Longfellow, 
and I cannot find him. I have a number of beautiful morceaux, 
but I wish the whole work; I admire him so very much.' That 
evening I found, among the books sent by Parry & McMillan, the 
' Poets and Poetry of America/ In this volume is a biographical 
sketch of Longfellow, as well as some of the choicest selections 
from his pen. This, with T. Buchanan Bead's 'New Pastoral/ 
were afterward commented on and received with the most visible 
pleasure by His Majesty. 

"I was absent from the part of the hall where Bom Pedro II. 
was looking at some steel engravings, (bank-notes,) and when I 
returned I found him engaged in a discussion with his first 
chamberlain as to John Quincy Adams, — the chamberlain (as the 
majority of even well-educated foreigners) supposing that John 
Quincy Adams was the elder Adams. The Emperor insisted that 
John Quincy Adams was not the early advocate of liberty and 
the ' comrade/ as he termed him, of Washington, — but that he 
was the son of John Adams, and, like his father, was a President 
of the United States. And soon after he gave a very thorough 
re-examination of the 'Bepublican Court/ and pointed out to the 
chamberlain the distinguished mother of John Quincy Adams. 
He was very anxious to see a portrait of Jefferson. One of my 
assistants found a very neatly-engraved portrait of the sage of 
Monticello from the burin of Toppan & Carpenter. When he 
received it, you should have heard him, without pedantry or 
affectation, expatiate with great minuteness, correctness, and 
judgment on the character of Jefferson as compared with that 
of Washington. 

"Approaching some very fine lithographs published by Williams 
& Stephens, of New York, I introduced His Majesty to ' Young 
America/ that handsome but independent-looking lad, and to 
'Uncle Sam's Youngest Son, Citizen Know-Nothing.' I thought 
that I had now a subject of which His Majesty really knew no- 
thing; but I found that I was mistaken, as he recounted to some one 
the pranks that this young fellow had been playing, and added that 
he was a citizen of some power and knowledge, judging from the 
recent (1855) elections in the United States. 



Success of the Exposition. 



245 



"Thus the whole day was occupied in the examination and ex- 
planation of the American collection. 

" A few days after the Exposition was closed, I had the many 
things destined for the Imperial family taken to the large palacete 
of the Marquis d'Abrantes, situated in one of the most charming 
environs of Rio, — viz. : the shore of the Neapolitan-shaped Bay of 
Botafogo. His Majesty was spending some weeks here for the 
benefit of sea-bathing. I passed the guards at the gate, and as I 
ascended the steps the Emperor saw me, and, meeting me at the 
door, thanked me heartily for what I had done. I desired him to 
allow me to remain a few moments until the boxes arrived, as I 
must give him some explanations as to the secret lock of the most 
excellent trunk sent him by Peddie & Morrison, of Newark, N. J. 
With his permission I went into the beautiful garden, where were 
the richest and rarest of flowers in a land of perpetual bloom. 
The air was truly loaded with sweet fragrance. There were foun- 
tains and statuary, many brilliant-plumaged birds, and, indeed, 
every thing in nature and in art to please and to gratify those alive 
to the beautiful. When looking upon a scene so enchanting I 
could only desire that this land, for which God has done so much 
in a natural point of view, might possess the solid mental and 
moral advantages which belong to our more rugged North through 
the instrumentality of education and religion. 

"The blacks soon arrived with the heavy boxes and the nicely- 
finished plough, (sent by B. Myers, of Newark, N.J.,) all of which, 
by the order of the chamberlain, were placed in the ante-room, 
where His Majesty again examined and admired them. The first 
thing that he inquired for was l My Longfellow/ (in the ( Poets 
and Poetry of America;') the next, 'Youman's Atlas of Chemis- 
try he then asked for the beautiful specimens of chromo-litho- 
graphy, (by Sinclair & Duval, of Philadelphia,) and finally in- 
quired after the steam fire-engine which made its travels from 
Cincinnati to Boston last spring. I furnished him with a plan 
of it which had been given me by a clerk in the Baltimore Sun 
office. He instantly took it, and began to explain its operations to 
a French savant who was visiting the palace. For one hour he 
was engaged in a review of the products of our country. He 
called the Empress, who also expressed her gratification in the 



246 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



highest terms as I displayed the beautiful books sent for herself 
and the princesses. Her Majesty was not only pleased with what 
had drawn forth the praises of her Imperial spouse, but she, as 
well as her maids of honor, displayed the woman in the delight 
manifested at the fancy soaps and other articles of toilette sent 
out by H. P. & ^Y. C. Taylor, of Philadelphia, and Colegate & Co., 
of New York. Many thanks were given to me for those who had 
been so kind in remembering the Imperial family of Brazil, and 
I left the palace, feeling that, so far as the head of the Brazilian 
Government was concerned, all was most successful. 

"With His Majesty's subjects the enterprise was not less fortu- 
nate. On the 17th and 18th the Museum was visited by some 
thousands, and astonishment and admiration were constantly upon 
the lips of the Brazilians. Each evening I was completely worn 
out by answering the many questions that were propounded from 
every side. I have no doubt that a proper exhibition of American 
arts and manufactures, arranged by business-men and those who 
have means to carry it out, would redound a thousandfold to the 
benefit of American commerce. Por, during my walks among 
those who were examining the various articles, I heard remarks 
which convinced me that it only required to have our country's 
productions known to cause a large importation. During and 
since the Exposition, I have had many orders for books, en- 
gravings, wall-papers, and Manchester prints; and this morning 
I had an application for a sugar-crushing machine, and a large 
lithographic printing-press. My reply in all cases has been, 'I am 
not a commercial man; I am not here for that purpose; I have 
no pecuniary interest whatever in this matter: but there are 
houses here which have correspondents in America/ 

"Upon the evening of the 16th, the Statistical Society of Brazil 
held its meeting in the same hall where were the products of the 
United States. The Yiscount Itaborahy presided, and invited me 
to address the Society. I was very glad to have the opportunity 
of explaining my plans to such a body of gentlemen, and found 
them most sympathetic : they freely expressed their desire to see 
the United States and Brazil more closely united. These remarks 
were reported for the press, and my motives were thus more 
widely made known to the people. 



A Pleasing Incident. 



247 



" The contributions from Washington, from the Bureau of the 
Coast Survey, and from the Patent-Office, and the splendid work 
on the North American Indians, to which Schoolcraft has devoted 
his life, were looked upon by the Historical and other Societies as 
a very great acquisition to their libraries. In this connection I 
must not omit to mention some important medical works sent out 
by Lippincott, Grambo & Co., which were presented to the Imperial 
Academy of Medicine. From these associations I received letters 
of thanks, showing that the contributions of the various donors 
are justly appreciated. The Brazilian Historical and Geographical 
Society published in the daily press the list of historical and other 
works and library-catalogues that had been thus added to their 
own increasing literary stores. 

"I have already occupied too much of your space, and I must 
still beg leave to add a few remarks. 

"I do not claim the 'Exposition' to have been a perfect collection 
of what the United States can produce. It was far from it; but, 
from the interest it has created in this city of three hundred 
thousand inhabitants, from the independent approbatory remarks 
of the daily press, and from the desires which come from all quar- 
ters that the exhibition should continue, I think that a favorable 
impression has been made, and I also believe that, from this little 
affair, we may legitimately argue that there is a most favorable 
opening here for the various manufactures, &c. of our country. It 
would require patience and capital, and perhaps the hazarding of 
something at first; but I believe that the end would more than 
recompense the adventurers. One or two Americans, a few years 
ago, commenced the importation of American agricultural imple- 
ments, &c, and now there is quite a commerce in this line. If im- 
portation should be extended, and this people could know what we 
produce, our commerce would be most rapidly increased. Specu- 
lators are not wanted, but moral, sound, enterprising business-men, 
who will furnish the best articles at the lowest price. 

"In conclusion, without wishing to excite expectations which 
will not be realized, or without desiring to overestimate any thing 
which has been done in this Exposition, I can only say that, how- 
ever far short I may have come in my efforts, my intentions have 
been good, and, when I shall leave Brazil to return to the work of 



248 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



my Master in my own land, I shall have at least the consolation of 
having endeavored to bring about a closer relation between the 
strongest Government of South America and the great Republic 
of the North. 

"I remain, gentlemen, very respectfully, 

" Your obedient servant, 

"J. C. Fletcher." 

A pleasing incident connected with this affair grew out of the 
late arrival at Eio of one of the presents destined for the Emperor. 
After the "Exposition," I departed from the city and became en- 
gaged in my legitimate labors in another part of the Empire. In 
the month of July I returned from the Southern provinces, and 
found that the Messrs. Merriam, of Springfield, Massachusetts, had 
sent out a superb edition of Webster's unabridged quarto Dictionary. 
I had also a few more books which were to be placed in the Em- 
peror's own library. An account of the presentation of these 
volumes was given in a private letter to Mr. J. P. Blanchard, of 
Boston, from which I extract the following : — 

a The gift of Messrs. Merriam arrived during my absence in the 
Southern provinces; but so soon as I returned I procured it from the 
custom-house, and in due time conveyed it to the palace. Of course 
it was too late for the Exj>osition in the National Museum ; but, 
as your State had been very poorly represented in May, I was glad 
to have this specimen of Massachusetts publication, and this monu- 
ment of the patient and faithful labors of a man who has done 
so much to define and classify our mother-tongue. 

"It was within two days of my departure for Bahia and Per- 
nambuco that I stole a few hours to go out to the Imperial Quinta 
of Boa Vista, — the Palace of S. Christovao. It is usual to go thither 
in a coach drawn by at least two horses; but, finding a nice new 
tilbury and a bright mulatto driver, I entered his vehicle, and, with 
'"Webster's Dictionary/ Hawthorne's 'Mosses from an Old Manse/ 
and Longfellow's 'Hyperion/ I was soon whirling, through the 
garden-lined streets of Engenho Yelho, to the palace. The Palace 
of S. Christovao is situated in one of the most picturesque environs 
of Eio de Janeiro. It stands in bold relief against the lofty green 
mountains of Tijuca, and is surrounded by the beautifully-foliaged 



"Webster, Hawthorne, and Longfellow. 249 

trees of the tropics. It has every adjunct that can make it a 
delightful residence. As we rolled through the long avenue of 
mango-trees, I saw the coach of one of the Ministers bowling along 
with the servants in livery. My establishment looked small in 
comparison with this brilliant equipage; but I felt that the three 
books which I bore with me would delight His Majesty more than 
all the carriages of the court. 

"I descended after the Minister had entered, and was conducted 
to an ante-room by a chamberlain, to whom I made known the 
purport of my visit and the nature of my volumes. Not wishing 
to trust my precious load to any servant, I carried the three tomes 
(no light burden) before me. After passing many corridors, I came 
to a large, wide gallery, which overlooked a courtyard where 
bright fountains were playing and the choicest and most fragrant 
flowers were blooming. 

"I had supposed that it was a day for private audience; but the 
long gallery was filled with gentlemen in waiting, — noblemen, 
Judges of the Supreme Court, Ministers, Charges, and officers en 
grande tenue, and some of them covered with decorations. I then 
learned from Senhor Leal, and from the Neapolitan Charge d' Affaires, 
that the 13th of July was the anniversary of the Imperial Princess 
Leopoldina, and these gentlemen had come to felicitate their Ma- 
jesties on the return of this anniversary. I took my stand at the 
extreme end of the waiting train, thinking that I had better have 
chosen a day when His Majesty was less occupied. Presently Dom 
Pedro II. appeared, his fine manly form towering above every 
other. He was dressed in black ; and, with the exception of a 
star which sparkled upon his left breast, his costume was simple, 
and its good taste was most apparent when contrasted with the 
brilliant uniforms of the court. 

"I conjectured that His Majesty would first receive the con- 
gratulations of the glittering throng that stood between him and 
the plainly-dressed clergyman. Judge, then, of my surprise when, 
merely bowing, he passed by the many titled gentlemen and repre- 
sentatives of foreign courts, and came directly to the ' Webster/ 
' Hawthorne/ and 'Longfellow.' With a pleasant smile, he addressed 
me, and led me to an open arch that overlooked the flowers and the 
limpid fountain. There he examined the books and bestowed high 



250 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



eulogium upon the Dictionary, — not only for the beautiful style in 
which it had been prepared by the publishers, but for the almost 
encyclopedic character of the work. He spoke of Mr. Hawthorne 
as an author of whom he had heard, and was glad to possess the 
'Mosses from an Old Manse.' I called his attention particularly 
to the ' Celestial Bailroad,' which caused an allusion to Bunyan's 
' guide and road-book to the Celestial City/ Since the month 
of May he had procured all the poetical works of Mr. Longfellow, 
but had not yet added to his library any of his (Mr. Longfellow's) 
prose compositions. He therefore considered 'Hyperion' a most 
interesting acquisition. 

"His Majesty conversed for a long time on the objects for which 
I came to Brazil, and expressed his gratitude for the souvenirs 
which he had received from citizens of the United States. I 
stated to him that I would visit the Northern provinces and then 
return to my native land. He expressed the customary wishes of 
a bon voyage, &c, but, with great earnestness, said to me, in con- 
clusion, 'Mr. Fletcher, when you return to your country, have the 
kindness to say to Mr. Longfellow how much pleasure he has given 
me, and be pleased to tell him combien je Vestime, combienje Vaimel 
— how much I esteem him, how much I love him.' " 

Thus ends, so far as my own personal effort is concerned, that 
which I undertook to do. It has been the feeble effort of a single 
individual to make his country better known, and to advance the 
interests of a Higher than any earthly government. If the results 
will not prove gigantic, my intentions, I trust, have not been other 
than pure and good. 



CHAPTEE XIY. 



BRAZILIAN LITERATURE — THE JOURNALS OF RIO DE JANEIRO — ADVERTISEMENTS — 

THE FREEDOM OF THE PRESS — EFFORT TO PUT DOWN BIBLE-DISTRIBUTION ITS 

FAILURE — NATIONAL LIBRARY — MUSEUM — IMPERIAL ACADEMIES OF FINE ARTS 

SOCIETIES BRAZILIAN HISTORICAL AND GEOGRAPHICAL INSTITUTE — ADMINISTRA- 
TION OF BRAZILIAN LAW CURIOUS TRIAL. 

The Brazilians, having a ruler with such literary and scientific 
tastes, will assuredly make more progress in this direction than 
formerly. 

On account of the restrictive policy of Portugal, no printing- 
press was introduced into this country until 1808. The general 
taste for reading is mostly confined to the newspapers and the 
translations of French novels. Authors are by no means numerous 
in the Empire; but there have been within the last few years 
a number of very creditable provincial histories, scientific disquisi- 
tions, and one or two attempts at the general history of Brazil. 
The bookstores abound with French works on science, history, 
and (too often) infidel philosophy. 

There is, however, a Government bookmaking which is prolific 
in the most interesting details. I refer to the annual Belatorios or 
Eeports of the Ministers of the Empire, Finance, Justice, Foreign 
Affairs, War, and the Navy. These are well written and well 
printed, and contain the most valuable matter for the statesman, 
the statistician, or the general reader. The Eelatorio of the 
Minister of Justice must demand an amount of labor unknown to 
officials in the United States or in England; for every case that goes 
before a jury in each of the twenty provinces must come under his 
revision and must be placed in its proper table. The crime, age, 
sex, and nationality of the criminal are given, together with the 
punishment. In addition to this, matters of prison-discipline and 
4he varied interests of ecclesiastical affairs are not forgotten. 



252 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



The periodical literature of Eio has, within a few years, been 
improved in character by the establishment of a Medical Eeview 
and also of a Brazilian and Foreign Quarterly. The last-mentioned 
periodical has been conducted with great spirit and literary enter- 
prise, and promises to be of utility to the country; yet even in 
this there is a too frequent resort to translations. If Brazilians 
would only take the time to write, and make the effort to think 
for themselves, foreigners would soon find their productions to be 
interesting and valuable, and would prize them accordingly. 

The press being free, I doubt whether any journals in the United 
States, England, or the Continent, contain so many communica- 
tions from subscribers as those of Bio de Janeiro. As all of these 
communicacdes must be accompanied with the cash, journalism in 
Brazil is a lucrative " institution." Some of the editorials of the 
Jornal do Gommercie and the Correio Mercantil will compare favor- 
ably with those of New York or London. The Correio has an able 
corps- editorial, and is an exceedingly readable paper. In the 
Appendix will be found a leader from the Jornal do Commercio 
which was elicited by a most provoking and uncalled-for note on 
the African slave-trade, which was sent by the British Minister at 
Rio de Janeiro to the Brazilian Secretary of State. 

The appearance of the newspapers of Bio is like that of the 
Parisian journals, only the Brazilian dailies are larger, in clearer 
type, and upon superior paper. The bottom of each sheet contains 
the light reading, in what is called the folhetim; and each Sunday 
the Correio Mercantil has several columns of pacotilha, (gossip.) 
The Jornal do Commercio, the Mercantil, and other journals, are 
printed on linen paper manufactured at the corte. 

The newspaper-press in Bio is quite prolific. It issues four 
dailies, several tri-weeklies, and a varying number of from six to 
ten weeklies and irregular sheets. During the session of the 
National Assembly, verbatim reports of the proceedings and de- 
bates of that body are published at length — like those of the 
English Parliament and the American Congress — on the morning 
after their occurrence. 

The Rio Mercantile Journal — which has been ably edited for a 
number of years by Mr. L Levy — is a valuable commercial monthly 
in the English language. In 1853, Mr. Nathaniel Sands commenced 



The Journals of Rio de Janeiro. 



253 



a newspaper, entitled Agricultor Brazileiro, which was devoted to 
the promotion of agricultural information. I have found this 
journal most interesting and able in its matter, reliable in its 
statistics, and equal to any similar publication in North America 
or Europe. It is therefore with regret that I record its want of 
support and consequent cessation; but, as the Brazilian fazendeiros 
consult the two existing volumes and examine their valuable in- 
formation, I have no doubt that the planter-public will call for a 
revival of such a work under the same or a kindred name. 

Much pains is taken by some of the journals to give commercial 
intelligence fully and correctly; while none of the sheets are filled 
with stereotyped advertisements. 

One of the most enterprising typographias is that of Sr. Paulo 
Brito, a mulatto of great energy and liberal sentiments. The press 
of the Dous de Decembro turns out fine specimens of work. The 
matter of the advertising-columns of the various newspapers Is 
renewed almost daily, and is perused by great numbers of general 
readers for the sake of its piquancy and its variety. Several 
peculiar customs may be noticed, growing out of the Church and 
Brotherhood advertisements mentioned in a previous chapter, and 
the patronage of the numerous lotteries authorized by Govern- 
ment. Persons frequently form companies for the purchase of 
tickets, and those at a distance order their correspondents to pur- 
chase for them. In order to avoid any subsequent transfer or 
dispute, the purchaser announces, through the newspaper, the 
number of the ticket bought and for whose account, — as, for 
example : — "M. F. S. purchased, by order of J. T. Pinto, two half- 
tickets, Nos. 1513 and 4817, of the lottery in behalf of the theatre 
of Itaborahy." " The treasurer of the company entitled i The 
Friends of Good Luck' has purchased, on the company's account, 
half-tickets Nos. 3885 and 5430, of the lottery of the cathedral 
of Goyaz." Following this custom, individuals who wish to publish 
some pert thing usually announce it as the name of a company 
for the purchase of lottery-tickets, although that name extends 
sometimes through a dozen lines of rhyme. 

The Brazilians have a most effectual way of collecting debts, which 
ought to be made known for the benefit of creditors in other portions 
of the world. The recipe is found in the following advertisement : — 



254 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



"Senhor Jose Domingos da Costa is requested to pay, at No. 35 
Eua de S. Jose, the sum of six hundred milreis ; and in case he shall 
not do so in three days, his conduct will be exposed in this journal, 
together with the manner in which this debt was contracted." 
Another will show that the clergy are not always spared : — 
" Mr. Editor: — Since the vicar of a certain parish, on the 8th 
instant, having said mass with all his accustomed affectation, 
turned round to the people and said, with an air of mockery, 
' As we have no festival to-day, let us say over the Litany/ &c, 
I would respond, that the reverend vicar knows well the reason 
why there was no festival. Let him be assured, however, that 
when intrigue shall disappear the festival will take place; but, if 
he is in a hurry, let him undertake it at his own expense, since 
whosoever says the paternoster gets the benefit.* 

"(Signed) An Enemy to Hypocrites." 

A school-teacher, after announcing his terms for tuition, thus 
continues and concludes, — the italics being his own : — 

"The first-class day-scholars are instructed in the different 
branches of science and literature, including the English, French, 
Portuguese, and Latin languages. Second-class pupils receive a 
plain education, consisting of reading, writing, grammar, arith- 
metic, and Christian doctrine. 

" The director, not being in the habit of making splendid advertise- 
ments or puffs in the daily papers, or of throwing dust in the eyes 
of the public, can only promise that, being the father of a large 
family and knowing what care and attention children require as 
to their morals and education, he will do his duty toward them 
accordingly." 

The last specimen which I give illustrates the early marriages 
which frequently take place in Brazil; but I defy any other 
country to furnish the like of the following advertisement, which 
appeared in the Jornal do Commercio of Bio de Janeiro in 1852. It 
is so unique that I furnish the original as well as the translation : — 

"Precisa-se de uma senhora branca de afiancada conducta, e com 
intelligencia bastante para fazer companhia a uma menina casada 



* " Quern rese o Pater noster come o pao." 



Freedom of the Press. 



255 



de menor idade, aqual precisa de algumas instruccoes proprias de 
seu estado. Quern estiver nestas circumstancias annuncie por esta 
folha para ser procurada." 

" Wanted. — A white lady of faithful character and with sufficient 
intelligence to be the companion [or, literally, " to make the com- 
pany"] of a young bride who is a minor, and who is in need of 
some instructions appropriate to her state. Whoever possesses 
these qualifications may make known her address in the columns 
of this journal. " 

Various allusions to the entire freedom of the press have already 
been made; and it may be mentioned, in this connection, that there 
was an interesting example of its use for advertisements for pro- 
moting the Bible in Brazil, and also its employment to put down 
an effort for the diffusion of the Sacred Scriptures. My co-author, 
(Dr. Kidder,) in the early part of his religious labors in Brazil, com- 
menced by circulating the Bible. I prefer to give his experience 
in his own words. After speaking of the general influence of the 
mother-country upon Brazil, he says, — 

" Portugal has never published the Bible or countenanced its 
circulation save in connection with notes and comments that had 
been approved by inquisitorial censorship. The Bible was not 
enumerated among the books that might be admitted to her colo- 
nies when under the absolute dominion. Yet the Brazilians, on 
their political disenthralment, adopted a liberal and tolerant Con- 
stitution. Although it made the Eoman Catholic apostolic religion 
that of the State, yet it allowed all other forms of religion to be 
held and practised, save in buildings ' having the exterior form of 
a temple.' It also forbade persecution on the ground of religious 
opinions. By degrees, enlightened views of the great subjects of 
toleration and religious liberty became widely disseminated among 
the people, and hence many were prepared to hail any movement 
which promised to give them what had so long been sys- 
tematically withheld, — the Scriptures of truth for their own 
perusal. Copies exposed for sale and advertised in the news- 
papers found many purchasers, not only from the city, but also 
from the distant provinces. 

"At the mission-house many copies were distributed gratui- 
tously; and on several occasions there was what might be called 



256 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



a rush of applicants for the sacred volume. One of these occurred 
soon after my arrival. It was known that a supply of books had 
been received, and our house was literally thronged with persons 
of all ages and conditions of life, — from the gray-headed man to 
the prattling child, — from the gentleman in high life to the poor 
slave. Most of the children and servants came as messengers, 
bringing notes from their parents or masters. These notes were 
invariably couched in respectful, and often in beseeching, lan- 
guage. Several were from poor widows who had no money to buy 
books for their children, but who desired Testaments for them to 
read at school. Another was from one of the Ministers of the 
Imperial Government, asking for a supply for an entire school out 
of the city. 

"Among the gentlemen who called in person were several prin- 
cipals of collegios, and many students of different grades. Ver- 
sions in French, arid also in English, as well as Portuguese, were 
sometimes desired by amateur linguists. "We dealt out the pre- 
cious volumes according to our best judgment, with joy and with 
trembling. This being the first general movement of the kind, we 
were at times inclined to fear that some plan had been concerted 
for getting the books destroyed, or for involving us in some species 
of difficulty. These apprehensions were contradicted, however, by 
all the circumstances within our observation; and all who came 
made their errand on the ground of its intrinsic importance, and 
listened with deep attention to whatever we had time or ability to 
address to them concerning Christ and the Bible. 

"It was not to be presumed, however, that so great an amount 
of scriptural truth could at once be scattered among the people 
without exciting great jealousy and commotion among certain of 
the padres. Nevertheless, others of this class were among the 
applicants themselves. One aged priest, who called in person, and 
received by special request copies in Portuguese, French, and 
English, on retiring, said, 1 The like was never before done in this 
country.' Another sent a note in French, asking for Ij'Ancien et 
le Nouveau Testament. In three days two hundred copies were dis- 
tributed, and our stock was exhausted; but applicants continued to 
come, till it was estimated that four times that number had been 
called for. All we could respond to these persons was to inform 



Failure of Opposition to the Bible. 



257 



them where Bibles were kept on sale, and that we anticipated a 
fresh supply at some future day. 

" We were not disappointed in the opposition which was likely 
to be called forth by this manifestation of the popular desire for 
the Scriptures. A series of low and vile attacks were made upon 
us in a certain newspaper, corresponding in style with the well- 
known spirit and character of their authors. Indeed, in immediate 
connection with this interesting movement a periodical was started, 
under the title of Catholico, with the avowed object of combating 
us and our evangelical operations. It was an insignificant weekly, 
of anonymous editorship. After extravagant promises, and re- 
peated efforts to secure permanent subscribers, it made out to 
struggle against public contempt for the space of an entire month. 
Yielding to the stress of circumstances, it then came to a pause. 
An effort was made to revive it some time after, with the more 
imposing title of Catholico Fluminense. Thus its proprietors 
appealed as strongly as possible to the sympathy and patriotism 
of the people, by the use of a term of which the citizens of Rio de 
Janeiro are particularly proud. Under this heading it barely suc- 
ceeded in surviving four additional numbers, in only one of which 
was the least mention made of the parties whose efforts to spread 
the pure word of God had given it origin. 

"This species of opposition almost always had the effect to 
awaken greater inquiry after the Bible ; and many were the indi- 
viduals who, on coming to procure the Scriptures, said their atten- 
tion was first called to the subject by the unreasonable and fanatical 
attempts of certain priests to hinder their circulation. They 
contemned the idea, as absurd and ridiculous, that these men should 
attempt to dictate to them what they should not read, or set up an 
inquisitorial crusade against the Bible. They wished it, and if for 
no other reason, that they might show that they possessed religious 
liberty, and were determined to enjoy it. They poured inexpressi- 
ble contempt upon the ignorance, fanaticism, and even the immo- 
rality, which characterized some of the pretended ministers of 
religion, who dreaded to have their lives brought into comparison 
with the requirements of God's word. 

" Those of our friends who were consulted on the subject almost 

invariably counselled us to take no notice of the low and virulent 

17 



258 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



attacks made upon us, with which the people at large had no sym- 
pathy, and of which every intelligent man would perceive the un- 
worthy object. Such articles would refute themselves, and injure 
their authors rather than us. 

" The results justified such an opinion. One gentleman (a Portu- 
guese) in particular said to us, with emphasis, ' Taking no notice 
of these things, you ought to continue your holy mission, and 
scatter truth among the people/ With this advice we complied, 
and it is now a pleasing reflection that our energies and time were 
devoted to vastly higher and nobler objects than the refutation of 
the baseless but rancorous falsehoods which were put forth against 
us. We knew full well that this opposition was not so much against 
us as against the cause of the Bible, with which we were identified, 
and we were content to ' stand still and see the salvation of the 
Lord.' And most delightful it was to witness the results of that 
overruling Providence which can make the wrath of man tributary 
to the divine praise. 

"The malignity of this worse than infidel opposition to the 
truth excited the cariosity of numbers to examine whether indeed 
the word of God was not ' profitable for instruction and for doc- 
trine/ The results of such an examination upon eveiy candid 
mind may be easily conjectured. Thus the truths of inspiration 
found free course to hundreds of families and scores of schools, 
where they might be safely left to do their own office upon the 
minds and hearts of the people. 

"Some instances of the happy and immediate effects of circulating 
the Bible came to our knowledge; but it is reserved for eternity 
to reveal the full extent of the benefit. While subsequently tra- 
velling in distant provinces, I found that the sacred volumes put 
in circulation at Eio de Janeiro had sometimes gone before me, and 
wherever they went an interest had been awakened which led the 
people to seek for more." 

There are other means than newspapers for the progress of the 
Brazilians in knowledge and belles-lettres. 

In addition to the various colleges and academies described in 
another chapter, there are a number of public institutions and as- 
sociations whose object is the cultivation of literature and science, 
and the diffusion of knowledge. 



National Library. 



259 



The JBibliotheca Nagional contains 100,000 volumes. These con- 
sist chiefly of the books originally belonging to the Royal Library 
of Portugal, which were brought over by Dom John VI. The 
collection is annually augmented by donations and Government 
aid. It was thrown open to the public by the Portuguese monarch, 
and has ever since remained under suitable regulations, free of 
access to all who choose to enter its saloon and read. This library 
is open daily ffom nine a.m. till two p.m., and was formerly en- 
tered from the Eua detraz do Carmo; but the Government has 
recently purchased the commodious private residence of Sr. Vianna, 
which is beautifully situated in the vicinity of the Passeio Publico, 
where the accommodations will doubtless be superior to those 
which it has hitherto possessed. When it was located in the old 
library-buildings, it presented an interesting sight to the visitor. 
Tables covered with cloth, on which were arranged writing- 
materials, and frames designed to support large volumes, extended 
through the room from end to end. The shelves, rising from the 
floor to the lofty ceiling, were covered with books of every 
language and date. You might here call for any volume the 
library contained, and sit down to read and take notes at your 
pleasure. The newspapers of the city and various European 
magazines were always ready for the reader. Not only this apart- 
ment, but also various alcoves and rooms adjoining it on either 
hand, were filled all around with books. This collection has also 
been increased by valuable private donations, among which that of 
the books of the late Jose Bonifacio de Andrada deserves especial 
mention. 

The publicity of such a library cannot fail to have a beneficial 
influence upon the literary taste and acquirements of the students 
of the metropolis,— which, by degrees, will extend itself to the 
whole community. While the student at Eio may find in the 
National Library nearly all that he can desire in the field of ancient 
literature, he may also easily gain access to more modern works 
in the subscription-libraries. 

The English, the German, and the Portuguese residents have 
severally established such libraries for their respective use. That 
of the English is somewhat extensive and valuable. 

Among the Government institutions must be classed the National 



260 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Museum, on the Campo de Santa Anna, which is gratuitously thrown 
open to visitors ; and great numbers avail themselves of this plea- 
sant and instructive resort. The collection of minerals has been 
much augmented in value by a donation from the heirs of Jose 
Bonifacio de Andrada. They presented to the Museum the entire 
cabinet of their father, who in his long public career had rare 
opportunities for making a most valuable collection. At an early 
period of his life he was Professor of Mineralogy in the University 
of Coimbra, Portugal, where he published several works that gained 
him a reputation among the scientific men of Europe. Through 

his life he had been 
industrious in ga- 
thering together 
models of machines 
and mechanical im- 
provements, toge- 
ther with choice 
engravings and 
coins ; and his 
heirs certainly 
could not have 
made a more mag- 
nanimous disposal 
of the whole than 
to confer them 
upon the nation. 
The department of 
mineralogy is well 
arranged, but con- 
tains many more 
foreign than native 
specimens. The 
same lack of Bra- 
zilian curiosities 
formerly prevailed 
in other depart- 
ments, although in that of aboriginal relics there has been from 
the establishment of the Museum a rich collection of ornaments 




THE HARPY EAGLE. 



Brazilian Historical and Geographical Institute. 261 



and feather-dresses from Para and Matto Grosso. There is a con- 
stant enlargement and improvement in every respect. Still, it 
may be said that while the cabinets of Munich and Vienna, Paris, 
St. Petersburg, London, and Edinburgh have been enriched by 
splendid collections from Brazil, in various departments of natural 
history, yet in the Imperial Museum of Rio de Janeiro but a meagre 
idea can be formed of the interesting productions — mineral, vege- 
table, and animal — in which the Empire abounds. 

It was here that I saw a very fine living specimen of the great 
harpy eagle, from the forests of the Amazon. 

There is an Imperial Academy of the Fine Arts, which was 
founded in 1824, by a decree of the National Assembly. It is at 
present organized with a Director and four Professors, — viz. : of paint- 
ing and landscape, of architecture, of sculpture and of design, and 
a corresponding number of substitutes. This institution is open to 
all who wish to be instructed in either department, and about 
seventy students are annually matriculated, — the greater proportion 
in the department of design. This Academy also provides funds 
for the support of a certain number of its most meritorious alumni 
at Eome, where they have ample opportunity for studying the 
classic productions of ancient and modern art. 

The Conservatorio de Musica is a State Academy where instruc- 
tion in instrumental and vocal music is given to both sexes by 
competent professors. There is also a Conservatorio Dramatico, to 
whose censorship were submitted, in 1854, two hundred and fifty 
plays, of which one hundred and seventy were approved, fifty-four 
were amended or suppressed, and thirty-three were of such a cha- 
racter as not only to be suppressed but to merit unqualified rebuke. 

The Sociedade Statistica and the Sociedade Auxiliadora da Indus- 
tria both enroll many public-spirited men and good writers. But 
the association which in its character, dignity, and numbers is 
the first in all South America is the Brazilian Historical and Geo- 
graphical Institute, organized at Rio de Janeiro in 1838, which has 
done more than any other society to awaken the spirit of Brazilian 
literary enterprise. This association adopted as its fundamental 
plan the design of collecting, arranging, and publishing or pre- 
serving documents illustrative of the history and geography of 
Brazil. Several distinguished persons took a deep interest in it 



262 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



from the first. The Government also lent a fostering hand. The 
General Assembly voted an annual subsidy in aid of its objects, and 
the Department of Foreign Affairs instructed the attaches of the 
Brazilian embassies in Europe to procure and to copy papers of 
interest that exist in the archives of different courts, relative to 
the early history of Brazil. By this movement individual exertions 
were aroused, and the spirit of inquiry was excited in different 
parts of the Empire as well as abroad, and interesting results have 
already been accomplished. 

During the first year of its existence, this Institute numbered 
near four hundred members and correspondents, and had collected 
over three hundred manuscripts, of various length and value. The 
most important of these it has already given to the world, together 
with some valuable discourses and essays furnished by its members. 
The first Friday of each month is devoted to the sittings of this 
association ; and none of its members and patrons are so punctual 
or take so deep an interest in all its proceedings as Dom Pedro II. 
Its organ is a Quarterly Beview and Journal, which publishes the 
proceedings of the society at length, together with all the more 
important documents read before it. "We have been particularly 
interested in the articles it has contained upon the aboriginal tribes 
of South America, and also in its biographical sketches of dis- 
tinguished Brazilians. 

On the whole, it may be questioned whether the Portuguese 
language contains a more valuable collection of miscellany than is 
thrown together in the pages of the Revista Trimensal ou Jornal 
do Institute* Historico Brazileiro. 

Almost all the leading men of Brazil belong to the learned pro- 
fessions. Such a thing as an eminent mechanic or merchant hold- 
ing high position in the State I believe to be unknown. There 
are certain officers who hold their appointment and receive pay 
under Government, in accordance with a rule which deserves par- 
ticular mention. The professors of some of the public institutions, 
and perhaps the attaches of some of the Government bureaux, 
receive a certain annual salary. It may not be large ; but, after 
holding office for a stipulated number of years, the employee, if his 
conduct has been without reproach, can retire, and is paid from the 
Imperial Treasury a sum equal to the added salaries of his whole 



Administration of Justice. 



263 



term of service. This is a strong inducement to the faithful dis- 
charge of duty, and perhaps operates to keep unscrupulous dema- 
gogues from seeking office as a reward for party exertions. It is 
thus that the under-officers in the Brazilian Government acquire a 
full knowledge of the difficult routine of the various Departments; 
and the changes of ministry leave no difficulties for the new Cabinet 
to surmount in carrying on the machinery of government. The 
Brazilian mode certainly seems more in accordance with common 
sense than the rotation-in-office principle which prevails in the 
United States. 

In another chapter will be found the course of study pursued in 
the chief law-school of the Empire. The administration of justice 
is much simpler than in England or the United States. There are 
almost the same magistrates and judges, under different names. 
The delegado or subdelegado is the justice of the peace; the juiz 
municipal answers to the circuit judge or the presiding officer of 
the Court of Common Pleas; the Juiz dos Orphoes is the Judge of 
Probate ; the Juiz de Direito is the Judge of the Supreme Court. 
There are district supreme judges in all the provinces, and there is 
a Supremo Tribunal de Justicia, which corresponds to the Supreme 
Court of the United States. 

From the experience of Governor Kent with the Brazilian tri- 
bunals, and from the interesting letters of Eev. Charles N. Stewart, 
I cull the following facts in regard to the mode of conducting a 
criminal trial at Eio de Janeiro. The party accused is first brought 
before the subdelegado in whose district the crime has been com- 
mitted. He is verbally examined, and his replies, as well as the 
questions, are all recorded. The accused is asked his age, profes- 
sion, &c. as minutely as the magistrate thinks proper. He is not 
compelled to answer, but his silence may lead to unfavorable in- 
ferences. The examination of the prisoner is followed by that of 
the witnesses, who are sworn by placing the hand upon the Bible. 
The administration of the oath is of the most solemn and impres- 
sive character, and in this respect at least the Brazilians read us a 
wholesome and a needful lesson. All rise — court, officers, bar, and 
spectators — and stand in profound silence during the ceremony. 
When the jury retires there is also a great manifestation of respect, 
— all standing until the twelve have left the court-room. 



264 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



The subdelegado, after the preliminary examination, decides 
whether the accused shall be held for trial, and submits the papers 
with his decision to a superior officer, who usually confirms it, and 
the accused is imprisoned or released on bail. 

In civil cases, unless of very great importance, the jury does not 
form a part of the judicial administration. The jury consists of 
twelve men. "Forty-eight are summoned for the term; and the 
panel for each trial is selected by lot, the names being drawn by a 
boy, who hands the paper to the presiding judge. In capital cases 
challenges are allowed without the demand of cause. The jury 
being sworn and empannelled, the prisoner is again examined by 
the judge — sometimes at great length and with great minuteness 
— not only as to his acts, but as to his motives. The record of the 
former proceedings, including all the testimony, is then read. If 
either party desire, the witnesses may be again examined, if pre- 
sent ; but they are not bound over, as with us, to appear at the 
trial. Hence, the examination of the accused and the witnesses at 
the preliminary process is very important and material. In many 
instances, the case is tried and determined entirely upon the record 
as it comes up." — Brazil and La Plata. 

When the record is read, witnesses are produced on the side of 
the Government, and the prosecuting-attorney addresses the jury. 
The testimony, or the witnesses of the defendant, are then intro- 
duced, and his advocate addresses — sometimes at great length — 
the twelve on whose decision hangs the destiny of his client. The 
prosecutor replies if he deem it best ; after which the judge briefly 
charges the jury and gives them a series of questions in writing, 
the answers to which constitute the verdict; and thus, it will be 
seen, special pleading and legal skirmishing is in a great measure 
defeated. The decision in each case is by majority, and not by 
unanimity, as with us. A case begun is generally finished without 
an adjournment of the court, though it should continue through 
the day and the entire night. 

The arrangement of the court-room is somewhat different from 
that in the United States. The judge, with his clerk, sits on one 
side of the hall, and the prosecuting-attorney on the other. The 
jury, instead of being in a "box," are seated at two semicircular 
tables placed at the right and at the left of the judge. The lawyers 



Trial by Jury. 



265 



do not stand when they address the jury, but, like the professores 
on examination-day, the collegios always make their speeches ex 
cathedra. The lawyers not engaged in the suit which may be 
before the court occupy a kind of pew which resembles the box for 
criminals in English and American halls of justice. 

The following verdict of a jury was returned in a case of homi- 
cide which occurred in Eio in 1851. The trial came off in the 
spring of 1852, and the " return" is translated from one of the daily 
newspapers printed at the capital, and gives a clear and concise 
notion of the nature of the questions propounded by the judge, and 
the ease with which a jury can come to a speedy conclusion in 
regard to the guilt or innocence of any accused individual : — 

Questions propounded by the Judge to the Jury, and the Verdict rendered, 
in the Second Trial of B. 

In this case the first jury fully acquitted the respondent. The 
presiding judge appealed to the Court of Eelacao, consisting of all 
the judges, twelve in number. This court, on hearing, sustained 
the appeal and ordered a new trial. 

Questions. 

1. Did the defendant, B., on the 23d of September of the last 
year, kill, by discharging a pistol, the Italian, C, in D/s hotel ? 

Answer. Yes; (by twelve votes.) 

2. Did he commit the offence in the night-time ? 
Ans. Yes; (by eight votes.) 

3. Did the defendant commit the offence with superiority of 
arms, in a manner that C. could not defend himself with a proba- 
bility of repelling the attack ? 

Ans. Yes ; (by eleven votes.) 

'4. Did the defendant commit the offence proceeding with con- 
cealment or surprise ? 

Ans. ~No ; (by seven votes.) 

5. Are there any circumstances extenuating the offence in favor 
of the defendant ? 

Ans. Yes j (by eight votes.) By Act 18, § 3, of the Criminal 
Code: — "If the defendant commits the crime in defence of his 
proper person;" and ditto, § 4 of same article : — "If the defendant 



266 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



commits the offence or crime in retaliation or revenge of an injury 
or dishonor which he has suffered." 

6. Do the jury find that the respondent commits the act 
(or offence) in defence of his person ? 

Ans. Yes ; (by seven votes.) 

7. Was the defendant certain of the injury (or evil) which he 
intended to avoid (or escape from) ? 

Ans. Yes ; (by seven votes.) 

8. Was the defendant absolutely without other means less 
prejudicial ? 

Ans. ]No ; (by eight votes.) 

9. Had the defendant provoked the occasion for the conflict ? 
Ans. ISTo; (by eight votes.) 

10. Had the defendant done any wrong which occasioned the 
conflict ? 

Ans. ~No ; (by eight votes.) 

11 and 12, (like 9 and 10,) in reference to the family of the de- 
fendant, if they had provoked, &c. ; and answered, No, (by twelve 
votes each.) 

Upon this verdict the court adjudged B. guilty, and sentenced 
him to twelve years' imprisonment at hard labor and the costs. 

An appeal was again taken to the same Court of the Eelacao. 
He was pardoned by the Emperor, October, 1852, upon application 
of the Minister-Plenipotentiary of his (B/s) country and by the 
petition of others. 

The following is a curious case of some legal interest: — In 
February, 1853, a black man was put on trial before the jury on 
charge of having a pocket-knife, (jack-knife, as we call it.) It did 
not appear that the black had done or threatened any injury ; but 
the crime was, having a prohibited article. During the trial, a 
white man appeared and claimed the negro as his slave. This 
claim was made part of the case on trial, and the jury were directed 
to determine whether he was free or the slave of the claimant. 
They found, by the judge giving the casting vote, that he was 
free, and, by ten votes, that he was guilty of the crime. He 
was sentenced to one month's imprisonment as a freeman. Thus, 
he obtained a judicial sentence which secured his freedom, and 



Complaints of Corruption. 



267 



had to stay one month as a lodger in jail. A lucky jack-knife 
to him ! 

It is impossible, in a work like this, to enter fully into the merits 
and demerits of the mode of administering law in Brazil. From 
time to time many charges of corruption have been brought, by 
rumor, against those who administer it, and doubtless, in some 
cases, corruption has existed. Those who have had property 
awaiting certain decisions of the Juizes dos Orphoes have com- 
plained that it was much reduced before judgment was rendered. 
Foreigners have also murmured at what they termed unfairness, 
and have hinted that some of the magistrates have not been above 
bribery. 

It would not be altogether just to compare the administration 
of law in Brazil to that of England ; but I hazard nothing in saying 
that in no country of South America is there greater personal 
security and a fairer dispensation of justice than in this Empire. 
Each year the various codes are becoming better digested ; and the 
number of eminent men in the legal profession has placed it, in 
point of mental, ability, in the first rank of the learned vocations. 



CHAPTEK XY. 



THE CLIMATE OF BRAZIL — ITS SUPERIORITY TO OTHER TROPICAL COUNTRIES — COOL 
RESORTS — TRIP TO ST. ALEXIO — BRAZILIAN JUPITER PLUVIUS — THE MULATTO 
IMPROVISOR — SYDNEY SMITH'S "IMMORTAL" SURPASSED — A LADY's IMPRESSIONS 

OF TRAVEL AN AMERICAN FACTORY — A YANKEE HOUSE THE RIDE UP THE 

ORGAN MOUNTAINS — FORESTS, FLOWERS, AND SCENERY — SPECULATION IN TOWN- 
LOTS — BOA VISTA — HEIGHT OF THE SERRA DOS ORGOES — CONSTANCIA — THE 

"HAPPY VALLEY" THE TWO SWISS BACHELORS YOUTH RENEWED PROSAIC 

CONCLUSION — TODD'S " STUDENT'S MANUAL" — THE TAPIR — THE TOUCAN — THE 

FIRE-FLIES — EXPENSES OF TRAVELLING NOVA FRIBOURGO — CANTA GALLO — 

PETROPOLIS. 

Those whose tropical experience has been in the East Indies or 
the western coast of Africa can have no just conception of the 
delightful climate of the greater portion of Brazil. It would seem 
as if Providence had designed this land as the residence of a great 
nation. Nature has heaped up her bounties of every description : 
cool breezes, lofty mountains, vast rivers, and plentiful pluvial irri- 
gation, are treasures far surpassing the sparkling gems and the 
rich minerals which abound within the borders of this extended 
territory. ~No burning sirocco wafts over this fair land to wither 
and desolate it, aud no vast desert, as in Africa, separates its fer- 
tile provinces. That awful scourge, the earthquake, — which causes 
strong men to become weak as infants, and which is constantly 
devastating the cities of Spanish America, — disturbs no dweller in 
this Empire. TVhile in a large part of Mexico, and also on the 
west coast of South America, — from Copiapo to the fifth degree 
of south latitude, — rain has never been known to fall, Brazil is 
refreshed by copious showers, and is endowed with broad, flowing 
rivers, cataracts, and sparkling streams. The Amazon, — or, as the 
aborigines term it, Para, " the father of waters," — with his mighty 
branches, irrigates a surface equal to two-thirds of Europe; and 
the San Francisco, the Parahiba do Sul, the vast affluents of the 
268 



The Climate of Brazil. 



269 



La Plata, under the names of the Paraguay, Parana, Cuiba, Para- 
nahiba, and a hundred other streams of lesser note, moisten the 
fertile soil and bear their tributes to the ocean through the southern 
and eastern portions of the Empire. Let any one glance at the 
map of Brazil, and he will instantly be convinced that this land is 
designed by nature for the sustenance of millions. 

Now, there must be some reason for this bountiful irrigation, 
this fertility of soil and salubrity of climate. 

Lieutenant Maury — who seems almost literally to have taken 
" the wings of the morning" and to have flown to the uttermost 
parts of the sea — has shown conclusively why it is that Brazil is 
so blessed above corresponding latitudes in other lands. South 
America is like a great irregular triangle, whose longest side is 
upon the Pacific. Of the two sides which lie upon the Atlantic, 
the longest — extending from Cape Horn to Cape St. Koque — is 
three thousand five hundred miles, and looks out upon the south- 
east ; while the shortest — looking northeastward — has a length of 
two thousand five hundred miles. This configuration has a power- 
ful effect upon the temperature and the irrigation of Brazil. The 
La Plata and the Amazon result from it, and from those wonderful 
winds, called the trades, which blow upon the two Atlantic sides 
of the great triangle. These winds, which sweep from the north- 
east and from the southeast, come laden, in their journey over the 
ocean, with humidity and with clouds. They bear their vapory 
burdens over the land, distilling, as they fly, refreshing moisture 
upon the vast forests and the lesser mountains, until, finally caught 
up by the lofty Andes, in that rarefied and cool atmosphere they 
are wholly condensed, and descend in the copious rains which per- 
petually nourish the sources of two of the mightiest rivers of the 
world. The prevailing winds on the Pacific coast are north and 
south. No moisture is borne from the ocean to the huge barrier 
of -mountains within sight of the dashing waves, and hence the 
aridity of so much of the hypothenuse of the triangle. I have 
beheld the western and eastern coasts of South America within 
thirty days of each other, and the former seemed a desert com- 
pared with the latter. 

No other tropic country is so generally elevated as Brazil. 
Though there are no very lofty mountains except upon its extreme 



270 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



western border, yet the whole Empire has an average elevation 
of more than seven hundred feet above the level of the sea. 

This great elevation and those strong trade-winds combine to 
produce a climate much cooler and more healthful than the cor- 
responding latitudes of Africa and Southern Asia. The traveller, 
the naturalist, the merchant, and the missionary do not have their 
first months of pleasure or usefulness thrown away, or their con- 
stitutions impaired by acclimating fevers. 

The mean temperature of Brazil — which extends from nearly 
the fifth degree of north latitude to the thirty-third of south 
latitude (almost an intertropical region) — is from 81° to 88° 
Fahrenheit, according to different seasons of the year. At Bio de 
Janeiro, — on the authority of Dr. Dundas, — the mean tempera- 
ture of thirty years was 73°. In December, (which corresponds to 
June in the Northern Hemisphere,) maximum, 89 minimum, 
70° ; mean, 79°. In July, (coldest month,) maximum, 79° j mini- 
mum, 66°; mean, 73 J°. I can add, from my own observations for 
several years, that I never saw 90° attained in the summer-time, 
and the lowest in the winter (June, July, and August) was 60°, 
and this was early in the morning. 

The heat of summer is never so oppressive as that which I have 
often experienced, in the hot days of July and August, at New 
York and Boston, where frequently the high point of 104° or 
105° Fahrenheit has been reached. It must, however, be conceded 
that three months of weather ranging between 73° and 89° would 
be intolerable if it were not for the cool sea-breeze on the coast 
which generally sets in at eleven a.m., and the delicious land- 
breeze which so gently fans the earth until the morning sun has 
flashed over the mountains. In the interior the nights are always 
cool; and it may be added that, one hundred miles from the sea- 
coast, the climate is entirely different. 

Bio is happily situated in its accessibility to the elevated regions. 
An hour's ride leaves you among the cascades and coolness of 
Tijuca; six hours by steamer, railway, and coach lift you up to 
the mountain-city of Betropolis ; or twelve hours will bring you 
amid the sublimities of the Serra dos Orgoes and the silent and 
refreshing shades of Constancia, where, at Heath's, we may be far 
away from the dust, din, and diplomacy which are the constant 



Trip to St. Alexio. 



271 



concomitants of the commercial and political capital of Brazil. 
Again, we may vary our route and ascend the mountains to the 
elevated uplands upon which are situated the prosperous towns 
of Nova Fribourgo and Canta Gallo, with their adjacent flourishing 
coffee-plantations. All of these are delightful resorts, and are be- 
coming each summer more and more frequented. 

Not far from the usual route to Constancia is the sweet little 
valley of St. Alexio, where an American has erected a cotton- 
factory in the midst of the most beautiful tropic scenery. To 
some it might be a profanation that these wilds should be startled 
by any other sounds than the leaping streams from the Serra, or 
the songs of birds and the shrill music of the cicada; but perhaps 
there are few who would not be content to behold industry taking 
the place of indolence, though they might yield to none in love for 
the beautiful. 

I visited St. Alexio a number of times, and enjoyed the kind 
hospitality of its director, who through many obstacles had at last 
triumphed in establishing the first successful cotton-manufactory 
in the province of Eio de Janeiro. 

My last visit to St. Alexio was made under such circumstances 
of weather that I am constrained to give it as an instance of what 
must be expected at certain seasons of the year. Though in the 
province of Eio de Janeiro there is no " rainy season," properly so 
called, yet many visitors to the capital will not soon forget the 
drenching rains, made doubly perceptible by the uncouth water- 
spouts (see those in the engraving of the " Senate-House ") which 
formerly poured more than a miniature cascade upon the passers- 
by. But of these spouts it may now be said their "occupation's 
gone," and by a city ordinance they will soon be where Intrudo 
is, — among the curiosities of Rio that have only a historical 
existence. 

The usual mode of getting to St. Alexio is by steamer to 
Piedade, and thence by carriage to the secluded valley some eight 
or ten miles from the landing-place. On the occasion of the visit 
referred to, I was accompanied by a number of friends, among 
whom was Mr. M., the worthy director and one of the owners of 
the "Fabrica." 

We left the Quai dos Mineiros (not far from the Convent of San 



272 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Bento) in the little clumsy steamer that plies between Eio and the 
upper end of the bay. The morning was bright, but we were 
soon overtaken by a thunder-storm. Such rain! In temperate 
zones we fancy that we know what is meant by rain. Quite a 
mistake! It is child's play when compared to the pouring tor- 
rents of the tropics. There was no cabin, and the curtains but 
half performed their office. In rushed the water over our clothes, 
under our feet, and out at the scuppers, like holy-stone day on 
board ship. 

When we were sufficiently wet, the rain abated and the curtain 
rose. And well that it did so; for the bad weather had driven in 
all the motley crowd of troupeiros usually occupying, along with 
their more respectable animals, the forward-deck of the boat; and 
the hot steam arising from the greasy cattle-drivers, the unkempt 
muleteers, and the damp darkies, was not the most agreeable to 
the lady portion pf our company. 

The time was beguiled in looking at the glorious scenery and in 
listening to the improvisation of a mulatto who was going to a 
festa in Maje, there to sell his wit and his doces. He told long 
stories in verse, and imitated different voices with admirable skill. 
When asked to improvise on Paqueta, the lovely insular gem that 
we were passing, he immediately dashed off in a strain of poetry, 
describing the beauties of the island, and then descanted on the 
faults and failings of its inhabitants, and in a satiric strain worthy 
of Juvenal lashed the proceedings of the people who frequented the 
religious festas that are annually held on its bright shores. He 
concluded with a eulogy on Jose Bonifacio de Andrada, who here 
ended his days. In short, had Corinne heard him, jealousy would 
have saved her the trouble of dying for love. Jesting apart, the 
man's talent was of a high order, and the harmonious and flowing 
verse showed the adaptation of the Portuguese language to 
rhythmical composition 

After a hasty repast at a rude inn near the landing-place of 
Piedade, we prepared for the road. Up came our equipage. I 
must, in justice to our worthy host, say that his nice American 
vehicle had received some injury, so that he could only send his 
mules and engage the best conveyance afforded by the village of 
Maje. We felt some slight remorse at the destruction of life that 



A Lady's Impressions of Travel. 273 



our entrance into the venerable vehicle must have caused, as it 
seemed to have served as a temporary refuge to some gay, locked-out 
rooster. But we ought not to speak ill of the aged. Guiltless 
alike of paint and washing, it far outdid Sydney Smith's "Immor- 
tal," which, doubtless, was kept in perfect cleanliness by his tidy 
Yorkshire servants. However, the sight of a good team reconciled 
us to the rudeness of the vehicle. Four fine mules plunged along 
through mud and water : I then understood how philosophical it 
was to avoid the trouble of washing a carriage. The Hyde Park 
turn-out of Count D'Orsay or the Earl of Harrington, in one short 
mile, would have been on a par with ours. We forded juvenile 
rivers and newly-made brooks; we lumbered up hill and down 
dale; now the coachman made a skilful detour close to a bank to 
avoid a deep mud-hole on the other side, and now he was obliged to 
pass under some tree whose overhanging branches gave us a capital 
douche. After some miles of this travel we stopped at a venda to 
give the animals breath and water before the gallop down the slope. 
Soon we were off again. 

" On, on we hasten' d, and we drew 
Their gaze of wonder as we flew I" 

And there was as black a tempest gathering for us poor Giaours as 
ever threatened to wet that uncomfortable, sword-waving rider of 
the "blackest steed!" Down came night and Brazilian rain! 
What had formerly been the hood of the carriage was transformed 
into a sort of a kitchen-sink, with a hole in the middle, through 
which poured the water. Luckily, we had an umbrella : this was 
inserted in the hole, and thus the stream was averted from our de- 
voted heads. 

In the midst of all this our driver gave a loud whistle, and 
thereupon out rushed four dark figures from a hut by the roadside. 
A lady of the party afterward described her romantic impressions 
of this scene as follows : — 

" What my companions felt I know not; but it was quite allow- 
able for me, a poor, weak woman, to give myself over as robbed, 
or, at least, 'murthered!' One man jumped on the box with a 
huge stick in his hand, and the others followed behind, uttering a 
series of unearthly yells and undesirable epithets, but all addressed 

to the mules; and, as I knew that the skins and skulls of those 

18 



274 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



beasts were thicker than mine, I was consoled. It was a party 
sent to push us up a steep hill; for be it known to all who are 
ignorant of the idiosyncrasy of these animals, that, when once they 
consider the task assigned to them unreasonable, no persuasion 
can induce them to set shoulder to the work. No doubt they cry 
to Jupiter, but he will not help them; and so they stand still, or 
allow the vehicle to draw them backward; and on the edge of a 




THE FABRICA AT ST. ALEXIO. 

precipice this is not a pleasant way of travelling. So, after each 
mule had clearly learned from the yelling quartette the estimation 
in which he was held, we gained the summit. How gladly we 
rolled down into that beautiful valley where the factory raises its 
white walls! We afterward beheld it under a bright sun, and 
Southey's remark that ' even nature herself abhors a factory, and 
refuses to clothe its walls with climbers/ is here contradicted, for 



A Grove of Sensitive Trees. 



275 



the lovely glen in whose bosom this building reposes would lend 
grace to any structure. 

"How hearty was our welcome from the pretty Virginia hostess 
who met us as we entered, all forlorn ! Eight gayly we recounted 
our fright and adventures, and it was the old story over again : — 

" ' She loved us for the dangers we had pass'd, 
And we loved her that she did pity them.' 

" Byron could not bear to see a lady eat, — it is so unethereal. 
Strictly speaking, it is sl singular process, — throwing sundry morsels 
into a hole in your face and using your chin as a mill. Of course, 
it was only the masculine part of the company who partook of 
the Westphalia ham, broiled chicken, and other dainties prepared 
by the good hostess. Such proceedings did not agree with the 
poetical feelings of my more celestial nature I" 

The following morning we surveyed the locality. The pro- 
prietor's house stands at a short distance from the factory, and 
both were actually framed in the United States, brought out in 
pieces, and put together in Brazil. The pine used for the house 
has, in spite of predictions to the contrary, proved superior in 
durability to Norwegian pine. A meadow of bright green slopes 
away from the house toward a clear, rapid brook, which, after 
rains, may well be called a river; but in dry weather it is easily 
traversed on the stones that strew its bed. Mr. M. had long and 
painful researches to find a stream that never dries up even in the 
hottest season. At last he discovered this little river, and here 
took up his abode. The hills rise around, covered with the most 
luxuriant growth; here and there a stately palm rises like a chief- 
tain above its fellows; farther on, the mountains stretch away and 
blend with the clear blue of the heavens. On the branches sing 
bright-plumaged birds, that seem, in the early morning, to call on 
the sensitive-plant trees to awake from their night's slumber. It 
was, indeed, hard for me to realize that the little sensitive-plant 
which I had looked upon at home as among the most delicate of 
exotics is here reproduced in almost giant forms. Its family abounds 
in Brazil, and the grove that surrounds the residence of Mr. M. is 
actually composed of trees which quietly fold their leaves in repose 
at vespers, only to be awakened by the morning sun and the sing- 



276 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



ing-birds. The city-friends of Mrs. M. used to offer their condo- 
lence that she was so far removed from society in that retired vale; 
but they were always cut short in their proffered sympathy by the 
information that no sense of loneliness prevailed in that sweet 
spot. There one may find companionship in those majestic moun- 
tains " precipitously steep/' the flowering woods, the forest- voices, 
and the gushing music of brooks and fountains. 




A YANKEE HOUSE IN BRAZIL. 



The remembrance of St. Alexio is like that of a pleasant dream, 
or the sunny memories of the secluded vales and sparkling waters 
at the base of the Dent du Midi, — not a day's ride from the upper 
end of the Lake of Geneva. 

Mr. M. deserves the greatest credit for his persevering efforts 
which placed here this first successful cotton-manufactory in the 
province. Others had endeavored to establish similar fabricas, to 
be driven by steam-power, in the city; but they were failures. Not 
only had Mr. M. to contend with nature, but probably his worst 
annoyances came from a dilatory Government. As to operatives, 
the factory is supplied from the German colony of Petropolis. 
Another has paid a just tribute of merit to Mr. M. ; and I can 
heartily subscribe to the sentiments therein contained: — "Though 
it is only in the more common fabrics in cotton that the manufac- 
turer can yet compete with British and American goods, yet he 



Blooming Forests of the Serra dos Orgoes. 277 



[Mr. M.] deserves a medal of honor from the Government, and 
the patronage of the whole Empire, not only for the establish- 
ment of the manufactory, but for the living example — set 
before a whole province of indolent and sluggish natives — of 
Yankee energy, ingenuity, indefatigable industry, and unyielding 
perseverance." 

It is a comfortable day's ride from St. Alexio to Constancia, — 
though the usual manner of procedure is to start at mid-day from 
Rio in the steamer, arrive at Piedade at three o'clock, where 
mules and guides are awaiting those who have been prudent enough 
to announce by letter to the "jolly Heath" their intention of 
spending a few days amid the Serra dos Orgoes. A few hours 
across the lowlands bring us through the town of Maje to Frechal, 
(or Frexal,) where the weary and the lazy often spend a night in 
a dirty inn, surrounded by crowds of children, (the proprietor is 
the father of twenty-three meninos,) and by vast troops of mules, 
which, laden with coffee, are on their way to the steamer at 
Piedade. But for those who love a dashing ride up the mountains, 
on a road in some places paved as the old Eoman causeways, — 
those who wish to feel an evening atmosphere which in coolness 
and chilliness reminds one of the temperate zone, — the Barrel ra 
will be the resting-place. Here is the toll-gate of this fine moun- 
tain mule-path, which must have been built at an immense cost, 
as several miles are paved like the streets of a city. 

We zigzag up the steep sides of the Serra, looking down upon 
the tops of majestic forest-trees whose very names are unfamiliar, 
and whose appearance is as curious as picturesque and beautiful. 
Dr. Gardner, who made a most thorough investigation of the flora 
of the Organ Mountains, has recorded in his interesting travels the 
vegetal riches of this lofty range, and those who would revel in 
descriptions of palms, Cassice, Lauri, Bignonias, Myrtacae, Orchi- 
dece, Bromeliacece, ferns, &c. &c. must turn to the pages of a work 
which, though necessarily deficient in the history, politics, and 
present condition of Brazil, is the most unassuming and charming 
book ever written on the natural aspect of the tropic land under 
consideration. 

In the months of April and May, (October and November in 
Brazil,) only the autumnal tints of our gorgeous North American 



278 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



woods can compare with the sight of the forest of the Serra dos 
Orgoes. Then the various species of the Laurus are blooming, and 
the atmosphere is loaded with the rich perfume of their tiny snow- 
white blossoms. The Cassice then put forth their millions of golden 
flowers, while, at the same time, huge trees — whose native names 
would be more unintelligible, though less pedantic, than their 
botanic terms of Lasiandra, Fontanesia, and others of the Melas- 
toma tribe — are in full bloom, and, joining rich purple to the 
brightest yellow, present, together with gorgeously-clothed shrubs, 
" flowers of more mingled hue than her [Iris's] purpled -scarf 
can show." From time to time a silk-cotton-tree (the Chorisia 
speciosa) shoots up its lofty hemispherical top, covered with 
thousands of beautiful large rose-colored blossoms, which grate- 
fully contrast with the masses of vivid green, purple, and yellow 
that clothe the surrounding trees. Floral treasures are heaped 
on every side. Wild vines, twisted into most fantastic forms or 
hanging in graceful festoons, — passion-flowers, trumpet-flowers, 
and fuchsias in their native glory, — tree-ferns, whose elegance of 
form is only surpassed by the tall, gently-curved pahnito, which 
is the very embodiment of the line of beauty, — orchids, whose 
flowers are of as soft a tint as the blossom of the peach-tree, or as 
brilliant as red spikes of fire, — curious and eccentric epiphytes 
draping naked rocks or the decaying branches of old forest-mon- 
archs, — all form a scene enrapturing to the naturalist, and bewilder- 
ing with its richness to the uninitiated, who still appreciate the 
beauty and the splendor that is scattered on every side by the 
Hand Divine. The overpowering sensation which one experiences 
when entering an extensive conservatory filled with the choicest 
plants, exotics of the rarest description, and odor-laden flowers, 
is that (multiplied a thousandfold) which filled my mind as I gazed 
for the first time upon the landscape, with its tiers of mountains 
robed in such drapery as that described above; and yet there was 
such a feeling of liberty, incompatible with the sensation expressed 
by the word "overpowering," that it is impossible to define it. In 
the province of Minas-Geraes, from a commanding point, I once 
beheld the magnificent forest in bloom ; and, as the hills and undu- 
lating plains stretched far away to the horizon, they seemed to be 
enveloped in a fairy-mist of purple and of gold. 



Speculation in Town-Lots. 



279 



The Barreira is situated in a spot of great wildness and sublimity; 
for the Organ-peaks, that rise thousands of feet above, seem like 
the aiguilles which start fantastically from the glaciers of Mont 
Blanc; and the rushing, leaping, thundering cascades are com- 
parable to the five wild mountain-torrents, " fiercely glad," that 
pour into the Yale of Chamouny. I was once at the Barreira during 
a tropic storm, and the foaming, roaring rivers, which hurried 
down with fearful leap from the very region of dread lightning 
and clouds, madly dashed against the huge masses of granite, as 
if they would have hurled them from their mighty fastenings, and 
tore their way into the deep valley beneath with sounds that 
reverberated among the giant peaks above, giving me a new com- 
mentary on the sublime description in the Apocalypse : — "And I 
heard a voice from heaven, as the voice of many waters and as the 
voice of a great thunder." 

From the Barreira we ascend by zigzags to the uplands, where 
is situated the former fazenda of Mr. March. His residence — 
so often visited by Langsdorf, the celebrated Russian voyager, 
Burchell, the African traveller, and Gardner, the botanist — is now 
to be numbered among the things that were; for the spirit of 
enterprise and money-making has laid out in this elevated valley 
a new resort for the Fluminenses, and speculation in town-lots 
among the Organ Mountains was rife as I left the shores of Brazil. 
I hope that it may prove a successful enterprise; for here the 
wearied and jaded from the city will find coolness, salubrity, and 
quiet in the midst of the most imposing scenery. 

Before reaching March's and the former mountain-home of Mr. 
H n, (whose hospitality many a visitor to Brazil will have occa- 
sion to remember,) we climb along the very sides of one of the most 
precipitous of the Organ-pipes. Hence is a view of commanding 
extent, — of mountain, plain, bay, and ocean, — embracing, it is said, 
a panorama of more than two hundred miles in circumference, in 
the midst of which, though distant, the capital of the Empire is 
seen gleaming amid its verdant and lofty environs. The point 
for beholding this landscape is appropriately called Boa Vista, 
("beautiful view.") So enraptured was the Rev. Charles N. 
Stewart with the grandeur of the scene, that he doubts if — in its 
combination of mountain, valley, and water — it has a rival : and 



280 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



adds that, in his wide experience in various continents, he only 
remembers one other prospect that approximates to it, — viz. : the 
pass "through the mountains of Granada, followed by the first 
view of the 'Yega/ with the city, the walls, and the towers of the 
Alhambra, and the snow-covered heights of the Nevada above all, 
gloriously lighted by the glowing hues of the setting sun." 

At the elevation of Boa Vista the climate is very much cooler 
than at Rio. In the month of June the thermometer has been 
known to fall as low as 32° Fahrenheit just before daybreak; but 
this is rare : 40° in the morning and 70° in the warmest portion 
of the day is the winter regime; and, in the summer, 60° and 80° 
are the two extremes. In January and February, (the July and 
August of the Southern tropics,) violent thunder-storms often 
occur, — generally in the afternoon, — and then pass over, leaving 
the evening delightfully cool. 

Here and at Constancia nearly all the European fruits and vege- 
tables thrive ; and, as at Madeira and Teneriffe, the apple and the 
orange, the pear and the banana, the vine and the coffee-plant, 
may be seen growing side by side. Mr. Heath receives quite an 
income from the productions of his vegetable-gardens ; and, at Rio, 
the fine cauliflower, (so difficult of cultivation in the tropics,) the 
best asparagus, and most of the artichokes, peas, carrots, &c. come 
from Constancia, and are esteemed as rare in that land as the 
carefully-cultivated hothouse pineapple in England. Two English 
shillings per head are given for the largest Constancia cauliflower 
at Rio. This kind of garden, it has seemed to me, might be in- 
creased in number in the upper region of the Serra, where are 
many fertile little valleys, all well irrigated by small streams of 
cool and limpid water. . If they could be managed with the care, 
industry, and perseverance which Mr. Heath has brought to bear 
upon such cultivation, they could not but bring a lucrative return 
to their proprietors, and would confer a great benefit upon the 
growing city of Rio de Janeiro. 

Like the mountains of Tijuca and the curious elevations around 
Rio, the whole of the Organ range consists of granite. The alluvial 
soil is very deep and rich in the valleys, and underneath it exists 
the same red-colored, slaty, ferrugineous clay which is so common 
throughout Brazil. 



The Altitude of the Mountains. 281 



The scenery becomes more tame as we leave Boa Vista, and we 
seem to be far removed from the climate of the plains, though 
around us the palms, ferns, cacti, tillandsias, &c. tell us that we are 
not beyond the limits of Capricorn. Creeping and drooping plants, 
bright flowers and foliage, still abound. Occasionally, howling 
monkeys hold a noisy caucus over your head, or a flock of bright 




THE ORGAN MOUNTAINS. 



parrots glides swiftly over the tall and gracefully-bending bamboos, 
which are a distinctive feature in the landscape. This giant of the 
grass-tribe has frequently been found in these mountains from 
eighty to one hundred feet in height and eighteen inches in dia- 
meter. They do not, however, grow perpendicularly, nor often 
singly, but, in vast groups, shoot up fifty and sixty feet, and then 
curve gently downward, forming most cool and beautiful domes. 

As we look back, we have a view of the Organ-pipes, and the 
aspect which they present is entirely different from that ragged, 



282 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



pointed, and diminutive appearance which they show when seen 
from the bay. From our nearness and our altitude they seem like 
sharp naked mountains rising above a sea of foliage. The range 
from which they are detached is still more lofty, and is most 
massive in its character. Few persons have ascended these moun- 
tains, and those have either been naturalists or daring hunters. 
Dr. Gardner made probably the most thorough scientific explora- 
tion, and up these heights Heath has often pursued the clumsy 
tapir or the lithe jaguar. The sloth, howling monkeys, the Bra- 
zilian otter, a little deer, (Cervus nemojivagus,) and two kinds of 
peccari, may still prove attractions to the naturalist and the sports- 
man ; but every year they are becoming more rare. Of birds there 
are many varieties, remarkable for their brilliant plumage, and a 
few are much sought after for their delicacy, the jacu and jacutinga 
being the most esteemed. 

The difficulties of the ascension of these mountains consist of 
the thickets of underwood, the serried ranks of great ferns and 
trailing bamboos, in addition to the steepness of the Serra. The 
paths of the tapir, however, render the undertaking much more 
feasible than it otherwise would be. Dr. Gardner, after two 
attempts, — the latter made several years after the first, — attained 
the highest summit of the range. These mountains — known in 
geographies as a portion of the Brazilian Andes, the Serra do Mar, 
and the Organ Mountains — have been variously estimated to pos- 
sess an altitude ranging from five thousand seven hundred feet up 
to eight thousand feet. The naturalist mentioned above made the 
only calculations of their height that have come under my observa- 
tion ; and, though they are only approximate, I give them, in this 
note, as interesting from the manner in which he reached his con- 
clusions. According to him, the elevation of the highest peak is 
seven thousand five hundred feet above the level of the sea.* 



* In the first ascent, Dr. Gardner accidentally broke his barometer before he had 
made a single observation ; but, when on his last excursion he attained the highest 
summit, with the aid of the thermometer he made the estimate in the manner thus 
recorded: — "At mid-day the thermometer indicated 64° in the shade, and I found 
that water boiled at a heat of 198° ; from which I estimate the height of the moun- 
tain above the sea-level to be 7800 feet. A register of the thermometer — kept 



CONSTANCIA. 



283 



From March's an hour's brisk trotting will bring us within sight 
of Constancia. Mr. Heath, when expecting guests, is almost 




HEATH'S, i. CONSTANCIA.) 



sure to meet them at an inner gate of his estate, about a half-mile 
from his residence, the main building of which rises from the midst 



during our stay in the upper regions of the Serra and observed on the level of 
Mr. March's fazenda — gave a mean difference of temperature between the two 
places of 12° 5 / . Baron Humboldt estimates the mean decrement of heat within 
the tropics at 1° for every 344 feet of elevation, and considers this ratio as uniform 
up to the height of 8000 feet, beyond which it is reduced to three-fifths of that 
quantity, as far as the elevation of 20,000 feet. It has, however, since been found 
that, in general, the effect of elevation above the level of the sea, in diminishing 
temperature, is, in all latitudes, nearly in proportion to the height, the decrement 
being 1° of heat for every 352 feet of altitude : this would give 4400 feet for the 
elevation of the highest peak of the Organ Mountains above Mr. March's fazenda; 
and, as this is 3100 feet above the level of the sea, we have for the total greatest 
elevation 7500 feet." — Gardner's Travels in Brazil, second edition, p. 405. 



284 



.Brazil and the Brazilians. 



of the little cottages like a huge Bernese chalet. The smaller 
buildings are filled, in the summer-time, with boarders who come 
up to enjoy the cool air of Constancia and the bracing douche of 
the cascade which rushes down from the hill opposite. In this 
quiet cul-de-sac the Northerner is reminded, by the moss-roses and 
violets, of his own far-off land in springtime. Not far from the 
front-door, as we approach the main edifice, is a large clump of 
roses of a diminutive kind, growing in wild profusion. The tube- 
rose, the Cape jessamine, and the delicate heliotrope, fill the air 
with sweets; and these and the arbors, with their honeysuckles, 
attract the tiny humming-birds, who sparkle in the sunshine like 
winged emeralds of richest hue. 

Who that has been to Constancia will forget the material com- 
forts with which Heath surrounds one? It is one of the few resorts 
for health and recreation that I have visited where the proprietor 
seems more like a host entertaining his friends than a landlord 
fleecing his boarders. His anecdotes keep up a constant cheer- 
fulness, while his adventures among the forests and the mountains 
of Brazil are full of instruction. He accompanied Gardner on 
many of his excursions, and has been a perfect Nimrod. When 
the felis-onga abounded, the neighbors were sure to send for Heath 
to avenge depredations upon their folds; and many a well-sent 
bullet from his rifle has brought the beautiful jaguar — the monarch 
of the feline tribe in the Western World — to terms, which no troops 
of hounds or Brazilian guns could have effected. He informed me 
that many years ago his first visit to Constancia was in hunting 
the tapir which had made such havoc in the fields of Indian corn 
belonging to March's fazenda, of which he was then the major-domo. 
The number of these huge animals that he has in former years 
killed in one season at Constancia has been thirty-two. This was 
merely in the line of duty ; for, if he had made a business of it, 
he could have " bagged" more tapirs, jaguars, peccari, &c. in one 
year than ever Gordon Cumming or Gerard did of their giant 
game in the wilds of Kaffraria or Algeria. 

It has often been a subject of wonder to me that of the tapir, 
the largest animal of South America, so little should be known. It 
also derives an interest from the fact that, though one of its species 
exists in the Old World, it was not discovered until long after the 



The American Tapir. 



285 



Tapir Americanus; for the Malay tapir, differing but little from its 
Occidental congener, was never described until the governorship 
of Sir Stamford Baffles in Java. 

The tapir forms one of the connecting-links between the ele- 
phant and the hog. Its snout is lengthened into a kind of pro- 
boscis, and, with the exception of the trunk of the elephant, which 
it resembles, is the longest nasal appendage belonging to any 
quadruped. It is, however, devoid of that clever little-finger with 
which nature has enriched the trunk of the land-leviathan. This 
curious animal has many fossil relatives, but only three living 
species (two of them belonging to South America) have as yet 
been discovered. 




THE TAPIR. 



The tapir is extensively distributed over South America east of 
the Andes, but especially abounds in the tropical portions. It 
seems to be a nocturnal vegetarian, — sleeping during the day, and, 
sallying forth at night, feeds upon the young shoots of trees, buds, 
wild fruits, maize, &c. &c. It is of a deep-brown color throughout, 
approaching to black, between three and four feet in height, and 
from five to six in length. The hair of the body, with the excep- 
tion of the mane, is scanty, and so closely depressed to the surface 
that it is scarcely perceived at a short distance. Its muscular 



286 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



power is enormous; and this, with the tough, thick hide (almost 
impervious to musket-ball) w T hich defends its body, enables it to 
tear through thickets in whatever direction it chooses. The jaguar 
frequently springs upon it, but is often dislodged by the activity 
of the tapir, w T ho rushes through the bushes and underwood and 
endeavors to brush off his enemy against the thick branches. Its 
ordinary pace is a sort of trot; but it sometimes gallops, though 
awkwardly and with the head down. It is very fond of the water, 
and high up on the Organ Mountains are pools where it delights 
to wallow. Its disposition is peaceful, and, if not attacked, it will 
neither molest man nor beast; but, when set upon by the hunter's 
dogs, it can inflict terrible bites. Mr. Heath informed me that each 
time it seizes a dog with its teeth the flesh is cut completely from 
the bone of the canine intruder. The flesh of the tapir is dry, and 
is often eaten by the Indians of the interior, by whom it is hunted 
with spears and poisoned arrows. It takes to the water, and is 
not only a good swimmer, but appears almost amphibious, being 
enabled to sustain itself a long time beneath the surface : hence it 
has sometimes been called Hippopotamus terrestris. The largest 
which Mr. Heath ever shot weighed fourteen Portuguese arrobas, 
(about four hundred and fifty pounds,) though doubtless much larger 
exist in the Amazonian regions. Naturalists divide the American 
tapir into two species, — that of the lowlands and that of the moun- 
tains, — the latter, found on eastern slopes of the Andes, differing 
but little from the one already depicted and described. 

The peccari is often met with in the woods of Brazil ; and this 
little native swine is the most pugnacious fellow imaginable. 
Neither men nor dogs inspire reverence; for he will attack both 
with impunity. It is gregarious in its habits, and will, with its 
companions, charge most vehemently, no matter how great the 
odds. It is, I believe, one of the very few animals that has no 
fear of the detonation of fire-arms. 

There are many beautiful and secluded walks and rides in the 
vicinity of Constancia, and frequently Mr. Heath accompanies his 
guests in the wild and romantic spots which here abound. I once 
climbed with two companions to the top of the mountain seen on the 
right in the sketch of Constancia, (page 283;) and, though I have 
made many ascensions among the Alps and the Apennines, I 



Todd's "Student's Manual" — Tub " Happy Valley." 287 



have never experienced so much fatigue and difficulty as on that 
occasion. We were the first, with one exception, to stand upon 
that height and behold the wondrous view around. I afterward 
made a sketch of the Organ Mountains at a point some miles dis- 
tant from Heath's, and where the peaks presented the appearance 
of irregular saw-teeth ; and I could then appreciate better than 
before the Spanish and Portuguese terms (Serra and Sierra, — a saw) 
for mountains. 

The sketch alluded to (though not engraved) was made on the 
fly-leaf of a book which I reread in the Serra dos Orgoes, and which 
has since circumnavigated with me the Continent of South Ame- 
rica. That book was an English edition of Todd's "Student's 
Manual," — a work which delighted my boyhood, which gave me 
new resolution in college, and whose cheerful style, beautiful illus- 
trations, and healthy thought cause it to be a most agreeable com- 
panion when no longer under tutors and governors. 

Mr. Heath once took our company, through a little belt of forest, 
to a valley not more than two miles distant from Constancia. 
From the edge of the woods we looked down upon a dell whose 
narrow end was next to us. Beyond, on either side of the moun- 
tain-spurs which formed the valley, were the dark-green coffee- 
trees and the pretty shrubs of the Chinese tea-plant. Far beneath 
us, almost embowered amid giant bananeiras and orange-trees, we 
perceived the red tiles of a cottage. We descended by a little 
path to this half-hidden habitation, and were introduced to the pro- 
prietors, two Swiss brothers, who, after having served in the Eng- 
lish army, retired upon a good pension, and here, in quiet, were 
enjoying life in one of the healthiest and most delightful places upon 
the earth. The elder brother had not been to the city for eighteen 
years. He had visited the United States when a younger man, but 
only that portion which constitutes the northern border of New 
York. While we were conversing with them, a flock of wild par- 
rots came swooping into the open windows, screaming with delight 
as they ate the sunflower-seeds which these benevolent old bachelors 
had scattered for them. The edges of the eoffee-terreno (where 
the berries are spread out to dry) were lined with large orange- 
trees, whose boughs bent downward with their golden burden; • 
running roses had festooned themselves upon shrubs, trees, and 



288 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



outhouses, diffusing grateful fragrance from the thick clusters of 
buds and blossoms ; purling brooks mingled their noisy, gleesome 
music with the more softened cadence of a distant waterfall, and 
the whole scene had so much of peace and felicity pervading it, 
that the " Happy Valley" of Dr. Johnson's imagination seemed 
here to find its counterpart in reality. 

I paid many pleasant visits to this pretty spot, and the lovely 
valley grew upon me by the hour. In the cottage of the two 
Swiss I found the best current periodicals, in French, German, 
English, and Portuguese, all of which languages they speak with 
fluency. The contrast was, however, most striking, as we con- 
versed about G-rindenwald, Martigny, the Riga, and the shores of 
Lake Leman, (accurate paintings of which hung on the walls,) 
and then looked forth upon a landscape of perennial bloom and of 
unchanging verdure. They took me to their garden, where they 
were, for their pleasure, cultivating moss-roses (which grow with 
difficulty in Brazil) and vines brought from the warmer parts of 
their native Switzerland. 

During one of my visits they informed me that they had pur- 
chased this plantation from a gentleman now residing in the State 
of Indiana, and they were equally surprised when I informed them 
that that State was my terre natale. They had kept up an active 
correspondence with the former proprietor, whom they represented 
as a lover of music and Goethe, but that since 1849 they had re- 
ceived no intelligence from him, and they feared that he had fallen 
victim to the cholera, which had swept through the Mississippi 
Yalley during the year mentioned. They desired me to write to a 
friend to see if Mr. R. were dead or alive : accordingly, I wrote to 
one of the professors of South Hanover College, Indiana; and my 
correspondent ascertained that Mr. R. was still in the land of the 
living. Professor T. visited him, and found Mr. R. a venerable 
German of more than threescore years and ten; but his love for 
music had not abated, and he was ready to battle for Goethe at a 
moment's notice. He had not forgotten his friends in Brazil, but, 
from some cause unknown, had not written to them ; and hence 
their apprehensions. When, however, he heard the description of 
the " Happy Yalley" in the sunny land of the Southern Cross, the 
vision of its roses, golden fruits, fadeless green, and murmuring 



Prosaic Conclusion. 



289 



brooks came so vividly before him, that, aged as he was, his youth 
seemed renewed, and he resolved to return once more to that which 
was his first and beautiful home in the New World. I know not 
if he carried his resolution into effect, but I can readily imagine 
how powerfully one may be stirred up by the memory of beauty 
which is inseparable from that peaceful dale in the Serra dos 
Orgoes. 

It seems a lame and prosaic conclusion to the romance of the 
little valley for me to state what I am about to record. The 
Swiss brothers in 1855 sold their secluded home, with its brooks, 
roses, and quiet, one of them got married, and both have come 
down to the new town on the site of March's old fazenda; and I 
fear that the elder brother, once brought within sight of the grow- 
ing Imperial city, will be tempted to pass over the forty intervening 
miles of mountain, plain, and water, and in the busy haunts of men 
enter deeper into speculations and forget the tranquillity of the 
"Happy Valley." 

In one of my early walks on Heath's plantation, I was very 
much struck with a tall tree that shot up near the pathway. Its 
trunk was a little inclined, — otherwise remarkably straight; but its 
chief attraction was the long and venerable moss which hung from 
the wide-spreading branches and was gently swayed by the per- 
fume-laden morning-breeze. I sat down to sketch it, and while 
thus engaged I was startled by a loud chattering; and in an 
instant a flock of brilliantly-colored birds, in curious flight, came 
from the neighboring wood and alighted upon the solitary tree. 
Though their motion on the wing was exceedingly clumsy, they 
were most nimble as they leaped from limb to limb. They kept 
up a continual chattering, as if they had met together to arrange 
their plans for the day. I soon perceived that, notwithstanding 
their brilliant plumage, which made the lofty tree seem laden with 
large golden oranges, they were as uncouth in appearance as they 
had been awkward in flight. Their bill was apparently of most dis- 
proportionate length, which did not, however, hinder their active 
movements among the gnarled branches and pendent moss. Pre- 
sently, having settled upon their arrangements for the day, they 
took a unanimous vote, which was uttered in such a viva voce scream 

that the very mountains resounded with wild, unearthly notes. 

19 



290 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



This Was my first acquaintance with the toucan, which in its 
appearance is one of the most eccentric members of the feathered 
tribe. The feathers of the breast of the ramphastos dicolorus are 
of the most brilliant orange, chrome, and deep-rose colors, and 
form a prominent feature in the feather-dresses and ornaments of 
the wild Indians of the interior. In the sixteenth century the 
"high-born" dames of the courts of Europe esteemed as their most 




THE MOSS-COVERED TREE. 



gorgeous and picturesque robes those trimmed with the breast- 
feathers of the toucan. Its tongue is long, stiff, and is tipped and 
edged with little, hairlike feathers. It has a singular manner of 
taking its food. I have watched one in a tame state eating Indian 
corn; and it would take one grain in its huge bill, throw up its 
head, elevating its long appendage, and by a series of quick jerks 
the grain would be tossed along the stiff tongue into the throat. 



The Toucan. 



291 



The toucan belongs to climbing-birds, and is classed with par- 
rots, woodpeckers, and cuckoos. Its foot, provided with two toes 
in front and two behind, is admirably adapted to the purposes of 
climbing and clinging. Its bill is by no means solid, and might 
be termed honey-combed in its structure, and hence is light. This 
long and heavy -looking instrument seems to be very sensitive and 
well supplied with nerves, as its owner may be often seen scratch- 
ing the curious organ with its foot. 

Waterton speaks of one species of the toucan in Northern Brazil 
(the toucans are only found in Tropical America) which "seems to 
suppose that its beauty can be increased by trimming his tail, 
which undergoes the same operation as our hair in a barber's shop; 
only with this difference, — that it uses its own beak (which is ser- 
rated) in lieu of a pair of scissors. As soon as his tail is full-, 
grown, he begins about an inch 
from the extremity of the two 
longest feathers in it, and cuts 
away the web on both sides of 
the shaft, making a gap about 
an inch long: both male and 
female adorn their tails in this 
manner, which gives them a re- 
markable appearance amongst 
all other birds/' 

The toucan is a most grotesque 
specimen of ornithology, and the 
Aracari, (Pteroglossus,) with his 
huge bill and goggle-eyes, ap- 
pears like a melancholy Jaques, 
or a spectacled German idealist, 
who has banished himself far from the haunts of men, to speculate 
on the miseries of human nature and the exalted excellence of the 

" populous solitude of bees and birds 
And fairy-form'd and many-color'd things." 

The student of natural history can find much to gratify him in 
the Organ Mountains. There are many beautifully-colored snakes, 
(only a few of which are very venomous,) a vast variety of lizards, 





292 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



curious frogs and toads, — as some one has remarked, — from the 
small tree-kind, not more than an inch long, to those marsh ones 
which are nearly large enough to fill a hat. Beautiful butterflies 
vie with the flowers which from time to time they taste, or their 
brilliant wings are reflected from the small pools on whose hanks 
they alight in countless numbers. Large wasp-nests as well as 
tropical leaves adorn the branches of trees. In some places, beetles 
like gems attach themselves to the foliage and flowers of low 
shrubs, and at night the air is lighted up with fire-flies which 
Gardner compares, in brilliancy, to "stars that have fallen from 
the firmament and are floating about without a resting-place." 

One evening I walked from Heath's toward the " Happy Yalley," 
but, not prolonging my promenade far in that direction, I entered 
a forest and pursued my way to the edge of a precipice, or rather 
a crater-like hollow whose centre was a thousand feet below me 
and whose sides were covered with trees. The night was dark, 
and it had fallen so suddenly after the brief twilight, that, so far as 
anticipation was concerned, I was unprepared for it. Before re- 
tracing my steps I stood for a few moments looking down into the 
Cimmerian blackness of the gulf beneath me; and, while thus 
gazing, a luminous mass seemed to start from the very centre. I 
watched it as it floated up, revealing, in its slow flight, the long 
leaves of the Euterpe edulis and the minuter foliage of other trees. 
It came directly toward me, lighting up the gloom around with its 
three luminosities, which I could now distinctly see. This was the 
pyrophorus noctilucus, so well known to every traveller in the 
Antilles and in Tropical America. It is of an obscure, blackish 
brown, arid the body is everywhere covered with a short, light- 
brown pubescence. When it walks or is at rest, the principal light 
it emits issues from the two yellow tubercles; but, when the wings 
are expanded in the act of flight, another luminous spot is dis- 
closed in the hinder part of the thorax. These luminosities — sup- 
posed to be phosphoric in their composition — are so considerable 
that the fire-fly is often employed in the countries where it prevails 
as a substitute for artificial light. 

In the mountains of Tijuca I have read the finest print of "Har- 
per's Magazine" by the light of one of these natural lamps placed 
under a common glass tumbler, and with distinctness I could tell 



The Fire-Fly and the Iguana. 



293 



the hour of the night, and discern the very small figures which 
marked the seconds of a little Swiss watch. The Indians formerly 
used them instead of flambeaux in their hunting and fishing expedi- 
tions; and when travelling in the night they are accustomed to 
fasten them to their feet and hands. In some parts of the tropics 
they are used by the senhoritas for adorning their tresses, or their 
robes, by fastening them within a thin gauze-work; and through 
them their bearers become indeed " bright particular stars." It 
was of this fire-fly (which resembles, in every thing but color, the 
"snapping-bug" of the Mississippi Valley) that Mr. Prescott, in his 
" Conquest of Mexico/' narrates the terror which they inspired in 
the Spaniards in 1520. "The air was filled with 'cocuyos/ 
(pyrophorus noctilucus,) a species of large beetle which emits an 
intense phosphoric light from its body, strong 
enough to enable one to read by it. These 
wandering fires, seen in the darkness of the 
night, were converted by the besieged into an 
army with matchlocks." Such is the report 
of an eye-witness, — old Bernal Diaz. 

In one of my rides toward Canta Gallo, I 
saw in the road the large lizard called the iguana. There is nothing 
to me disgusting in this clean-looking reptile, whose skin, composed 
of bright, small scales, resembles the finest bead-work. I had often 
seen them at Rio spitted and hawked about the city; for the flesh 
is esteemed a great delicacy, — resembling in its appearance and 
taste that bonne bouche for epicures, a frog's hind-leg. The usual pic- 
tures of the iguana do not render it full justice; they represent it 
as horrid in appearance as the imaginary baleful-breathed, javelin- 
tongued dragon from which good St. George delivered so many 
devoted virgins. The iguana is from three to five feet in length, 
and is oviparous. A lady member of my family possessed one 
which was a great favorite, and she has kindly furnished me with 
some notes on her pet. I insert them verbatim. 

"Pedro [the iguana] afforded me much amusement. From his 
close resemblance to the snake-tribe, it was difficult for strangers 
to rid their mind of the impression that he was venomous. Such 
is not the case with iguanas. Their only means of defence is their 
very powerful tail; and a sportsman told me that he has had a 




294 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



dog's ribs laid bare by a stroke of an iguana's tail. My poor 
pet, however, was not warlike, having been long in captivity. He 
was given me as a 1 Christmas-box' by a friend, and soon became 
tame enough to go at liberty. He was about three feet long, and 
subsisted upon raw meat, milk, and bananas. He had a basket in 
my room, and when he felt the weather cool would take refuge 
between the mattresses of my bed. There, in the morning, he 
would be found in all possible comfort. One evening we missed him 
from all his usual hiding-places, and reluctantly made up our minds 
that he was lost; but, on rising in the morning, two inches of his 
tail hanging out of the pillow-case told where he had passed a 
snug night! My little Spanish poodle and he were sworn foes. 
The moment Chico made his appearance, he would dash forward to 
bite Pedro; but Chico thought, with many others, that 'the better 
part of valor is discretion.' So he made off from the iguana as 
fast as his funny legs could carry him. Then Pedro waddled slowly 
back to the sunny spot on the floor and closed his eyes for a nap. 
When the winter (a winter like the latter part of a Northern May) 
began, he became nearly torpid, and remained without eating for 
four months. He would now and then sun himself, but soon re- 
turned to his blanket. 

"I frequently took him out on my arm, and he was often spe- 
cially invited; but I cannot say that he was much caressed. It 
was in vain that I expatiated on his beautiful bead-like spots of 
black and white, on his bright jewel eyes and elegant claws. 



drawn forth by an enemy's broadside or a lee shore. But, alas 
for the 1 duration of lovely things !' During the summer-months 




THE IGUANA. 



They admired, but 
kept their distance. I 
had a sort of malicious 
pleasure in putting 
him suddenly down at 
the feet of the stronger 
sex, and I have seen 
him elicit from naval 
officers more symp- 
toms of terror than 
would have been 



Travelling Expenses. 



295 



he felt his old forest-spirit strong within him, and he often sallied 
forth in the beautiful paths of the Gloria. On one of these occa- 
sions he met a marauding Frenchman. Pedro, the caressed by me 
and the feared by others, knew no terror. The ruffian struck him 
to the earth. It was in vain that a little daughter of Consul B. tried 
to save him by crying, '11 est a Madame:' another blow fractured 
his skull ! My servant ran up only in time to save his body from 
an ignominious stew-pan; but life was extinct. The assassin fled, 
and Eose came back with my poor pet's corpse. On my return he 
was presented to view with his long forked tongue depending from 
his mouth. He was sent, wrapped in black crape, to a neighbor 
who delighted in fricasseed lizards, but who, having seen him 
petted and caressed, could not find appetite to eat him ! 

" Thus ended the career of poor Pedro, after a life of pleasant 
captivity; and perhaps it might be said of him, as of many others, 
'He was more feared than loved!' " 

From Constancia to Nova Fribourgo, or Mono Queimado, is a 
mountain and forest path, which is sometimes taken by travellers 
who wish to visit the villa named above. The route most frequently 
traversed is by steamboat from Rio de Janeiro, on the bay as far as 
the Macacii Eiver, and up this stream to the Engenho de Sampaio. 
Thence we may go by carriage or mule-back to the flourishing 
town of Porto das Caixas, which is the general rendezvous for 
the troops of mules that bring coffee and sugars from the Swiss 
colonies of Nova Fribourgo and Canta Gallo and a large section 
of the neighboring country. Here are also debarked the goods 
which return from the capital in exchange for produce. 

In addition to its commercial importance, it is distinguished as 
the family-residence of the Yisconde de Itaborahy, (Senhor Joaquim 
Jose Eoderigues Torres.) The traveller will here find a very good 
hospedaria, (inn,) kept by a Frenchman, whose prices, though not so 
moderate as in the interior of the country, may, with other expenses, 
be interesting to voyageurs who may come after me. I find in my 
note-book the following entry for myself and companion : — 

11 Hospedaria de M. Boulanger. — Two dinners, two candles, two 
beds, coffee for two, two breakfasts, and the stabling of two mules, 
— T^OO," (equal to about sixteen English shillings.) 

At the excellent boarding-house of Mr. Lowenroth, at Nova 



296 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Fribourgo, you pay 2$ (one dollar) per diem for every thing. At 
Canta Gallo, thirty miles farther in the interior, 1 paid 6$000 (thir- 
teen and sixpence English) per diem, for myself, guide, and three 
mules. At Pedro Schott's, (a regular Tete noire chalet of rude con- 
struction,) situated in a wild, secluded spot half-way between the 
bay and Nova Fribourgo, for two dinners, two beds, two lights, and 
the stabling of two mules, — 4$500, (ten shillings twopence.) At 
Constancia and at Petropolis you pay 4$000 (nine shillings) per 
diem, the price of a first-class hotel in the United States. It must 
be remarked, however, that wine is never extra, and, as this is ob- 
tained at a cheap rate direct from Lisbon and Oporto, it is placed 
upon every table. On going into the fertile province of Minas- 
Geraes, I found that for myself and company we were charged at 
Petropolis 16S000, (nearly nine dollars,) and the next night at a 
little inn called Eibeirao we paid for the same accommodations 
48000, (two dollars and twenty cents.) Upon the sea-coast I have 
always found the living expensive to the foreigner. Farther in the 
interior the prices diminish. At the Ponta do Jundiahi, in the pro- 
vince of S. Paulo, dinner for myself and guide, and feed for three 
animals, the price was but 1$500 (three shillings and fivepence Eng- 
lish.) The common Brazilian travels at a rate one-fourth cheaper 
than either the North American or the European. He rarely stops 
at the hospedaria, but, when he considers the day's journey ended, 
whether at two o'clock p.m. or six p.m., he rides under a rancho, 
gives a few handfuls of milho (maize) to his mule, and afterward 
turns him out to pasture. He then — if he has no servant with hiin 
— -joins with others occupying the same rancho, and feijoes, and came 
secca, greased with a little toucinho, and well stiffened with farinha 
de mandioca, form a substantial supper, which has as an adjunct 
coffee, red Lisbon, or water from the running brook. I have found 
sleep as sweet on a raw hide spread in the dust of a rancho as in 
the soft bed of the best New York hotel. The ranchos (mere tile- 
covered sheds) are found all over the country, and, like the cara- 
vanserais of the East, are often erected by the authorities; but in 
many instances they have been built by some vendeiro, who charges 
nothing for the shelter thus afforded to the troupeiros and the thou- 
sands of sacks of coffee and sugar on their way to the seaboard 
marts. The vendeiro, however, does not count without his host, for 



Nova Fribourgo and Canta Gallo. 



297 



troupeiros need feijoes, carne, farinha, cachaga, and coffee for them- 
selves, and milho for their mules. Then an extra girth, a saddle- 
blanket, a pointed knife, and an iron spur, are often wanted; and 
the Portuguese vendeiro thus accumulates property, and in time 
becomes a fazendeiro, but does not give up the shop, which always 
brings him a good return. 

Those who intend travelling long journeys in Brazil would do 
well to purchase their own mules. Horses and mules (the latter 
are much more serviceable) may be hired at the rate of from 5$000 
to 10$000 (eleven to twenty-two English shillings) for each fifty 
miles, or for a certain sum the trip. 

The coffee-plantations of the elevated uplands of Nova Fri- 
bourgo and Canta Gallo rank among the best in the province of Eio 
de Janeiro : many of them are owned by Swiss and Frenchmen 
who came to Brazil at the invitation of Dora Joao VI., in 1820; but 
the colony of which they formed a part fell through, and the most 
energetic men have become proprietors. The Baron of New Fri- 
bourg has immense plantations in the vicinity of N. Fribourgo, 
where he not only employs slaves, but many emigrants from Por- 
tugal, the Azores, and Madeira. His residence in the villa whence 
he derives his title is a large mansion built in good taste. A Pro- 
testant chapel of small dimensions is presided over by an old Lutheran 
clergyman who came to Brazil with the early German colonists. 
I could, however, perceive that there was but little Christian 
vitality among this people. Lutherans of the old Church-and- 
State School are among the very last men to propagate the gospel. 
There is more hope of some of the new pastors in the more recently- 
established German colonies. 

At Nova Fribourgo are a number of excellent schools, the chief 
of which is the Instituto Collegial of Mr. John H. Freese. This 
gentleman has devoted many years to instruction in this cool and 
healthful spot, and many hundred young Fluminenses have here 
received an education in English and French, as well as in the 
Portuguese language. I have met with the scholars of Mr. Freese 
in different parts of the Empire, and they always manifested a 
general intelligence beyond the alumni of other similar institutions. 
His Nocoes Geraes dcerca da Educagao da Mocidade Brazileira show 
that he has given much attention to the subject of education. 



298 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Between N. Fribourgo and Canta Gallo the scenery is remarkably 
Alpine, and such is the cultivation that one is readily reminded of 
the sweet valleys of Switzerland. In the neighborhood of Canta 
Gallo I found a number of intelligent German, Swiss, and French 
gentlemen, whose coffee-plantations bring them most lucrative 
incomes. I was not a little surprised at a kind offer of a German, 




NEAR THE VILLAGE OF NOVA FRIBOURGO. 



who manifested the beginning of his hospitality by asking me if I 
would not take ein grog, and was as astonished at my refusal as I 
had been at his offering. 

At the plantation-house of Mr. D., a Swiss from Zurich, I was 
surrounded by many reminiscences of his fatherland; and when I 
gazed upon his finely-cultivated fields, which stretched before his 
mansion, I could almost believe myself in some of the green vales 
of the Oberland, large paintings of which graced the walls of the 



Extent of the Bay of Eio de Janeiro. 



299 



salon. The illusion was rendered more complete when night had 
hidden every palm-tree and flowering cactus, and I heard only the 
sounds of the French and German languages, or from the piano 
the simple notes of the Banz des Vaches, sweet nocturnes, and the 
majestic strains of Mendelssohn and Beethoven. I could scarcely 
believe myself a hundred miles in the interior of Brazil. I, how- 
ever, realized that I was not in the land of Tell when I returned 
to Canta Gallo preceded by a negro in livery, who bore (on horse- 
back) a naming torch, whose flashes of light revealed overhanging 
mimosas, bignonias, and long, bending bamboos. 

The old hotel-keeper at Canta Gallo is a tall Frenchman who 
was one of the body-guard of Napoleon L, which fact his mellifluous 
Frangais, as well as rude fresco-paintings, soon inform you. 

In returning from this excursion, there is a magnificent view of 
the whole bay, extending as it does within its mountain-walls one 
hundred miles in circumference. The most important ports upon 
the borders of this bay are Maje, Piedade, Porto da Estrella, and 
Iguassu. At these several places great quantities of produce are 
delivered by troops from the interior and embarked in steamers 
and falluas for the capital. 

A glance at the map shows the Bay of Bio de Janeiro to 
contain numerous islands, of various form and extent. Bha do 
Governador, or Governor's Island, is much the largest, measuring 
twelve miles from east to west. Most of these islands are inha- 
bited, and under tolerable cultivation. If any thing can add to 
the imposing scenery of this magnificent bay, it is the vast number 
of small vessels that are seen constantly traversing it, dotting the 
green surface of the water with their whitened sails. From morn- 
ing to evening may be seen, plying in every direction, open and 
covered boats, canoes, lanchas, falluas, and smacks. 

One of the most attractive residences for the people of Bio 
during the hot season is the newly-formed colony of Petropolis, 
situated about three thousand feet above the level of the sea. An 
agreeable steamboat-transit amid the picturesque islands brings 
you to Maua, the terminus of the first railroad formed in Brazil, 
and for which the Empire is indebted to the enterprise of that 
enlightened and patriotic Brazilian, Evangelista Ireneo da Souza, 
who, on the opening of this railway was created Baron of Maua by 



300 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



the Emperor. The road is about ten miles long, and leads to the 
foot of the mountains, where carriages, each drawn by four mules, 
receive the travellers. The ascent is by an excellent road, which 
was built by the Government at an enormous expense, and reminds 
one of the Simplon route. In some parts the side of the moun- 
tain is so steep that three windings are compressed into a space 
small enough to allow of } T our being heard as you speak to the 
persons in the carriages going the opposite direction. When you 
reach the summit, before descending into the valley in which 
stands the town, a magnificent prospect opens before you. All the 
bay and city of Eio, with the plains of Maua, across which lies the 
diminutive railroad, are mapped out below. 

In the year 1837, Br. Gardner writes, "We passed through the 
small, miserable village of Corrego Secco." This is now Petro- 
polis. All the neighboring land was at an earlier date obtained by 
the Emperor B. Pedro I. with a view to forming a German colony. 
This design was interrupted by his abdication, but has been car- 
ried out by his son, the present Emperor. It now contains ten 
thousand inhabitants, and on every side are beautiful residences 
of wealthy Eio families who resort thither during the summer. 
Nothing can exceed the beauty of the vicinity. Eoads, bordered 
by villas, stretch away from the centre, between hills still covered 
with virgin forest. Many of these, inhabited by the German 
colonists, bear the name of places in Fatherland, and the mind is 
pleasantly transported to scenes in the Old World. The highroad 
to the mining-district is through Petropolis, and troops of mules, 
laden with coffee, sugar, and sometimes gold, are perpetually pass- 
ing down to the head of the bay, where their loads are transferred 
to falluas and steamers to be transported to the city. 

The palace of the Emperor stands in the centre of the town, and 
when finished and surrounded by cultivated grounds, will present 
a beautiful appearance. Small streams intersect the streets and are 
crossed by bridges, adding much to the singular aspect of the place. 

There are Eoman Catholic and Butheran churches, large hotels, 
and many shops. Here the Baron de Maua has a mansion plea- 
santly situated at the meeting of two mountain-brooks. Many 
foreigners have villas here and there, — the English generally 
seeking the heights. 



Petropolis, the Mountain-City. 301 

The colonists belong to a low class of Germans, and brought 
with them few arts and but little education. It seems difficult in 
any tropical climate to prevent the morals and industry of emi- 
grants from deteriorating, and this is particularly to be observed 
in slave-countries. The degraded colonist, while setting himself 
above the African, engrafts the vices of the latter upon the 
European stock, and thus sinks to a lower grade than the negro. 
The German in Brazil has the want of a sound moral people sur- 
rounding him, to sustain and elevate him: therefore it is no marvel 
if he sink lower and lower in the scale of civilization. Much, 
however, is being done for the Germans of Petropolis. Dr. Hoff- 
mann, as the pastor of the church and superintendent of the schools, 
takes a deep interest in the welfare of his countrymen both spi- 
ritually and intellectually. 




SWISS VALLEY, NEAR PETROPOLIS. 



It is not possible to obtain a view of the entire town of Petro- 
polis at one glance, because it is scattered in various valleys 
among the hills. More rain falls here than in Eio, and the tiny 
rivulets often become rushing streams, and the mule-troops labor 
on through miles of mud. This moisture keeps the air cool and 
freshens the flowers that cluster round the white-walled cottages 
which gleam from their dark-green background. The accompany- 



302 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



ing view is taken in the Swiss valley, where, as you listen to the 
German accents of the villagers, fancy might induce you to believe 
yourself in Europe, did not the waving palm and rustliDg banana 
remind you that you dwelt under a tropic sun. 

Petropolis is annually becoming of greater importance. Its 
salubrious and delightful climate will make it a large and fashion- 
able resort for the Capital of the Empire, and perhaps the day is 
not distant when it will become the second city in the province. It 
stands at the entrance to the fertile province of Minas-Geraes, and, 
should some plan be devised for constructing a railway up the 
mountains, its growth will be most rapid. If the Baron of Maua 
would pay a visit to the United States and examine the Pennsyl- 
vania railways, or the Baltimore and Ohio Bailroad, he may be 
encouraged to persevere. Mr. Cathcart invented a locomotive 
for the Madison (Indiana) and Indianapolis Bailroad which climbs 
a grade of four hundred feet to the mile; and this powerful 
machine might overcome every difficulty. The mountain-barrier 
once passed, and a portion of the rich interior regions of Brazil 
would then be brought within a short distance of the seaboard.* 



* Another railway is now being built from the capital into the interior, the fol- 
lowing notice of which is in a late number of the "National Intelligencer" : — 

"The present Emperor of Brazil, in furtherance of the enlightened policy adopted 
from the beginning of his reign, has taken under his protection the construction of 
a great line of iron-rails, which is to connect the richest provinces of his Empire. 
This main line — called 'Dom Pedro II. Railroad'- — is so planned as to be extended 
and gradually ramified in every direction for the accommodation of travellers and 
transport of the produce of the various parts of the country. The first section of 
it is now being built by Mr. Ed. Price, an English contractor, and will soon be com- 
pleted. The second — fourteen and a quarter leagues in extent, through a moun- 
tainous region, including the Tunnel of Mendes, the construction of which tunnel 
alone is estimated at $420,000 — has been already surveyed and traced out by our 
own countryman, Colonel Charles F. M. Garnett, chief engineer of the company, 
with the assistance of his corps of engineers. 

"The Brazilians desire our co-operation in the completion of the national enter- 
prise they have now in view. Every inducement is offered to us, not only in regard 
to the liberal compensation assured to our contractors by the ample funds possessed 
by the company, but also in taking into consideration the facilities that our country- 
man, Colonel Garnett, would afford to Americans acting in the undertaking sub- 
mitted to his direction." 



CHAPTEK XVI. 



PREPARATIONS FOR THE VOYAGE TO THE SOUTHERN PROVINCES THE PASSEN- 
GERS UBATUBA EAGERNESS TO OBTAIN BIBLES THE ROUTINE ON BOARD 

ABORIGINAL NAMES — SAN SEBASTIAN AND MIDSHIPMAN WILBERFORCE — SANTOS — 
BRAZILIANS AT DINNER — INCORRECT JUDGMENT OF FOREIGNERS — S. VINCENTE — 

ORDER OF EXERCISES MY CIGAR — PARANAGUA — H.B.M. "CORMORANT" AND THE 

SLAVERS — MUTABILITY OF MAPS — RUSSIAN VESSELS IN LIMBO — THE PRIMA DONNA 
AN ENGLISH ENGINEER ARRIVE AT SAN FRANCISCO DO SUL. 

Although I had resided several years in the Empire, I had never 
visited its Southern provinces. In June, 1855, duty as well as 
inclination gave me the privilege which I had so long desired. 

Having been kindly provided by Brazilian, German, and English 
friends at Eio with letters of introduction, and being particularly 
fortified by a strong carta de recommendacdo from the venerable 
Senator Vergueiro, (one of the last of the constitutional patriots,) 
I had every facility for seeing Southern Brazil to advantage. 

Wishing to have ample leisure, I procured my passport, several 
days before my departure, at the proper bureau. One of the first 
lessons learned by the traveller in Brazil is patience and conformity 
to all existing formalities. No matter how absurd the regulation, 
as, for instance, that which requires one to obtain a passport in 
leaving the city of Eio de Janeiro for the provinces, (where it is 
never demanded,) you must submit. Protestations only bring a 
shrug of the shoulders from the snuff-taking official, and woe be to 
you if the hour for closing the bureau slips around before you have 
obtained the necessary document. To be perfectly en regie, the 
departing citizen or stranger must have his name registered either 
in the custom-house or printed in some public journal three days 
before his passport is granted, in order that his creditors may have 
an opportunity of knowing his movements. But the passport sys- 
tem, as well as quarantines, never prevented the adit or exit of 
rogues or pestilence. 

303 



304 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



In addition to this, I had prepared, the day before, my baggage, 
consisting of a trunk and a number of large boxes of books, and 
I had made arrangements with an under-clerk of a mercantile house 
to have these put on the steamer at an early hour. Believing 
myself perfectly secure, I was busily engaged in writing up to 
within half an hour of the time of departure. On entering the 
mercantile establishment referred to, I found that my baggage was 
still quietly resting where I had left it the day previous. There 
was just time to hurry it down to the Consulado in a cart. Off we 
started, and, on reaching this place, we went through a set of 
formalities in shipping the boxes; then, taking a boat, (for vessels 
there do not lie in docks,) we arrived at the steamer, and had the 
mortification to be informed by the Brazilian second mate that the 
objects of our haste could not be received on board at that hour 
without a special permit from the office of the steamer, which 
was in a street one mile distant from the Consulado. 

The blacks rowed me quickly to the shore, where I jumped into 
a tilbury and rattled through the streets to the much-coveted 
bureau of the Southern Steam-Packet Company. I obtained the 
permit, and, with as great celerity in returning as in coming, I was 
soon on board. I leave to the reader to judge how much easier 
and more reasonable the whole matter would have been in England 
or the United States, even if blame were to be attached to me for 
not attending to my own luggage and seeing it fairly on the 
steamer the day before. 

Once on board, I found that there had been no need of my great 
fretting, for the engine snorted and hissed more than an hour 
before we left the moorings. Our passports were all examined by 
the police-officer, and our personal identities were verified by the 
agent of the packet, in order to discover if all the passengers had 
paid their fare : the captain took his stand upon the wheel-house, 
and to his " Small turn ahead" we moved through the assembled 
shipping of the loading, discharging, and man-of-war anchorages, 
until a "Stop her" brought us under the guns of Yillegagnon. 
Here we received the last visit of the agent, and then the Govern- 
ment officials boarded us to see that all was right and you 

imagine that we steamed out of the bay, in which imagination you 
would be egregiously mistaken; for we lay before Yillegagnon for 



Ubatuba. 



305 



two mortal hours, tossing up and down in a delightful swell which 
rolled in directly from the blue Atlantic. Something had been left 
behind by the captain's wife, which (of more value than a band- 
box) proved to have been a large package of money "expressed" 
to the South ; and hence our delay. 

It was after five o'clock when we passed the giant sentinels of 
the Sugar-Loaf and Santa Cruz. The passengers, with the excep- 
tion of myself, a Frenchman, and a Lombard, were either Bra- 
zilians or Portuguese. The captain, though a Baltimorean, had 
renounced his allegiance to the United States, and had been natu- 
ralized in Brazil. Night soon came on, and a heavy rolling sea 
compelled me to take to my berth, — not, however, before I had seen 
the Brazilians horribly sea-sick ; and all of them have such a bilious 
look that one would anticipate for them an unusual degree of suf- 
fering upon the "vasty deep." 

Early the next morning I could see from my cabin-window the 
mountains of the coast. The same magnificent scenery which so 
delights the traveller in the vicinity of Bio de Janeiro is reproduced 
all the way to Eio Grande do Sul, only the mountains vary in form, 
and in some places the palm-trees are more luxuriant. When I 
came upon deck, we were just entering the beautiful Bay of Ubatuba. 
Two vessels were riding at anchor; and, for a small place, there is 
considerable trade in coffee, which is brought down from the 
interior and thence shipped to Bio. 

The village of Ubatuba stretches along a circular beach, and its 
bright houses are thrown out in prominent relief by the verdant 
mountains that lift themselves in the background. The storm had 
ceased ; and I rarely have witnessed a lovelier scene than was pre- 
sented by this Southern landscape. The captain, seeing the calm- 
ness of the water, had the good sense, at this juncture, to invite 
the passengers to a most substantial breakfast, for which each one 
on board had been fully prepared by his night's tribute paid to the 
angry waves. 

Every eye beamed with pleasure (doubtless the breakfast had had 
something to do with it) as the vision of beauty before us came in 
review. Good-nature and kindness is a predominant characteristic 
of the Brazilian; but even a churl would have been alegre under 
our present circumstances. 

20 



306 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



We only exchanged mails and took in oranges, (a hundred of the 
most luscious could be purchased for an English threepence,) and, 
bidding farewell to Ubatuba, in a short time we were sailing close 
to woody islands or the green shore. The sea was smooth, the 
passengers were all upon deck, and the best of feeling pervaded the 
whole company. Wishing to profit by the occasion, I descended 
to my trunk and brought up a Portuguese Bible, which I offered 
to a passenger on the conditions laid down in the rules of the 
American Bible Society. Only a few moments elapsed ere I had 
disposed of all the volumes of the Sacred Word which were at my 
convenience, and on every side my fellow-voyagers were reading 
with eagerness a book they had never seen before. From time to 
time I was called on for explanations, and I was renewedly con- 
vinced of the freedom from bigotry which is a distinguishing nega- 
tive quality of the Brazilians. An officer of the Imperial navy had 
just returned from the Brazilian squadron at the river Plate, and, 
in seeking the bosom of his family at Santos, wished the Scrip- 
tures as a present for his children, and, when purchasing them, 
he remarked, " Though I am a man forty-five years of age, I have 
never before seen A Santa Biblia in a language which I could 
understand." 

Ubatuba differs in a certain respect from a number of neigh- 
boring towns, inasmuch as it rejoices in one of the euphonious 
aboriginal terms which were found throughout the country at its 
discovery. Not many leagues from this village is the large town of 
Angra dos Reis and the island denominated Ilha Grande dos Magos, 
which names were given by Martin Affonso de Souza. Although 
several of these harbors and islands had been previously discovered 
.and probably named, yet — owing to the circumstance that Souza 
became an actual settler, combined with the fact that in following 
the Boman calendar he flattered the peculiar prejudices of his 
countrymen — the names imposed by him have alone remained to 
posterity. The 6th day of January, designated in English as that of 
i:he Epiphany, is termed, in Portuguese, Dia dos Reis Magos, (Bay 
of the Kings or Boyal Magi.) The island of S. Sebastian and the 
port of S. Yincente were named, in like manner, on the 20th and 
22d days of the same month. The Indian names of Brazilian 
towns are among some of the most flowing and fine-sounding 



Midshipman "Wilberforce and the Mosquitos. 307 



found in any language : — as Itaparica, Pindamonhangaba, Inomerim, 
Guaratingitd, Parahiba and its diminutive Parahibuna, &c, — the 
h in each case non est liter a. 

It was only a few hours' run from XJbatuba to our next stopping- 
place. We were constantly passing one of the boldest and most 
picturesque coasts that I have ever seen. Near the island and the 
town of San Sebastian, (the latter on terra firma,) I was continually 
reminded of the banks of the Ehine and of the lake and mountain 
scenery of Switzerland, though here perpetual verdure crowns cliff 
and crag, and the valleys were covered with plantations of coffee 
and sugar, and the orange-groves were prodigal of their golden 
fruit. The shore was steep and high, and well-wooded promon- 
tories stood out with minute distinctness in the bright, pure atmo- 
sphere. The island of San Sebastian is only separated by a narrow 
strait from the mainland, and it seemed to me, as I gazed upon it, 
like one of the fabled Hesperides. The steep rocky sides of its 
mountain-ridge are interspersed with belts of forest, from whose 
thick-foliaged bosom cascades of Alpine magnitude dashed their 
foaming treasures hundreds of feet below. 

It was in a hamlet on this romantic island that Wilberforce — 
a rollicking, fun-loving Eng- 
lish midshipman — says he 

saw the traces of Portuguese _ „ X ^ 

hands in a neat white church 
which rose from the midst 
of mud houses. "The anti- 
quity of the building," he 
writes, "was not the sole 
proof of its origin. The pre- 
sence of a church is in itself 
sufficient to show whether 
Portuguese or Brazilians 
have founded the village. 
It is said that the first build- 
ing that Portuguese settlers 
erect is a church : the first 

that Brazilians build is a grog-shop." And then he significantly 
adds, "We order these things better in England, and build both at 




THE ROADSIDE V E N D A. 



308 Beazil and the Brazilians. 



the same time." I cannot say that the remarks of Midshipman 
Wilberforce are altogether exact ; for it is a fact that the Brazilians 
already have too many churches for the priests, and also that they 
do commence the nucleus of their village by a venda, which not 
only serves as a drinking-house, but as a 
place for lodging and eating. The Brazilians 
are a temperate people, as I have already 
observed, and are not given to drunkenness 
as the Northern nations; therefore "grog- 
shop" is not the correct term to express the 
foundation of a Brazilian settlement. Beli- 
gion and the venda are not always insepa- 
rable; for you will frequently find a little 
cross erected near its entrance, and some- 
times an alms-box affixed to the door, on 
which is painted " white souls and black" 
lifting up from the flames of purgatory hands 
of supplication ; and hard must be the heart 
that can resist the piteous spectacle. 

The midshipman is, however, entirely just in his observations on 
mosquitos and the very vicious sand-flies called borachudas. Both 
his indignation and poetry arise at the trouble they gave him; for 
he eloquently bursts forth in the following : — " Any one who should 
write an ode to Brazilian scenery [near San Sebastian] would 
probably begin, — 

" ' Ye mountains, on whose woody heights 
The greedy borachudah bites ; 
Ye forests, in whose tangled mazes 
The dire mosquitos sting like blazes !' — 

and so on to the end of the canto. Things that would be poetical 
in themselves are sadly spoiled by the introduction of such utili- 
tarian adjuncts as mosquitos. Greedy animals ! I am ashamed 
of you. Cannot you once forego your dinner and feast your mind 
with the poetry of the landscape V*. 

San Sebastian is twelve or fourteen miles long, and of nearly 
equal width. It is well cultivated and somewhat populous. Like 
Ilha Grande, it was a rendezvous for vessels engaged in the slave- 




Santos. 



309 



trade. Such craft had great facilities for landing their cargoes of 
human beings at those and contiguous points; and if they did not 
choose to go into the harbor of Eio to refit, they could be furnished 
at this place with the requisite papers for another voyage. For no 
other object was the vice-consulate of Portugal established in the 
villa opposite. 

The sun was setting as our little steamer issued from the Bay of 
S. Sebastian, and before daylight was gone we neared the Alcatra- 
zes, two rocky islands of curious shape, conspicuous objects well 
known to all travelled Paulistos. 

Before retiring to my cabin I had an interesting conversation 
with a Portuguese who was proud of his little native peninsular 
kingdom, and boasted of her great deeds and past prowess, but 
spoke not of her present glory. The Lombard passenger enter- 
tained me with sketches of the Milanese revolt of 1848, and with 
warlike chansons, in which the name of Carlo Alberto II Be di 
Sardegna was ever prominent. 

The next morning we arrived at Santos, situated a few miles up 
a river of the same name, which is the chief port of the flourishing 
province of St. Paul's. Here I landed my two boxes intended for 
the interior, and which I hoped would reach their destination 
before I returned to Santos, so that I could ride swiftly after them 
and not be delayed as I had been in similar excursions in the rural 
part of the province of Eio de Janeiro. I had some difficulty with 
the custom-house; and no one but strangers who have gone 
through this experience in Brazil can imagine the various annoy- 
ances to which every species of goods is subjected. There are 
no objections to the books because they are Bibles, but you must 
pay duty (small, it is true) a second time upon them. 1 thought 
because I had paid duties once at Eio that that was sufficient; but 
here they have a provincial tariff from which no one is exempt. I 
had letters from Senator Vergueiro to his two sons, who have a 
mercantile house here, and also the father and the sons have im- 
mense plantations in the interior; and it was to one of these 
plantations that I determined to go, and, while doing good, be 
enabled to see for myself the condition of the thousand European 
colonists which the enterprising Yergueiros have under their 
charge. 



310 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Senhor Jose Yergueiro, the principal of the Santos house, (Yer- 
gueiro & Filhos,) was absent, and his brother, the fourth son of 
the Senator, was indisposed. But at his order every kindness was 
shown me by the clerks of the establishment; and through one of 
them my books were soon liberated from the custom-house. I 
declined their invitation to dine at the Trapiche, for I had already 
accepted the kind offer of my Brazilian compagnons de voyage at 
the hotel of Senhor Francisco. Senhor F. was said to be a perfect 
polyglot; but I found, by trying him in three languages, that he 
only spoke a smattering of each. The dinner was plentiful and 
excellent. I found that the convivial qualities of the Brazilians 
were as remarkable as those of John Bull, — not that there was 
drinking to any excess, but they ate heartily, and cheered most 
lustily at every toast or sentiment, with which it seemed our feast 
was as plentifully provided as with substantial food and doces. The 
Brazilians are great toasters; and I have seen a table at which 
twenty or more persons were assembled, and each proposed at 
least one sentiment, while some proposed during the sitting the 
health of as many as six different individuals. Some of these 
toasts would be concluded by a song vociferated by the whole com- 
pany as loudly as if German students had been the performers. 

The company at Senhor FraD Cisco's consisted of merchants, 
physicians, a number of Government civil officers, and one colonel 
of the regular army. Wine in abundance was placed upon the 
table; yet it was used in great moderation by those who did par- 
take of it, while others seemed to abstain from it altogether. In 
settling the bill, (SI each,) not one of them would allow me to share 
a penny of the expense; and throughout the whole repast, it being 
known that I was a Protestant clergyman, they were most re- 
spectful in their bearing, and all approved of the work in which I 
was engaged. I have been thus particular in mentioning this little 
incident, because some writers and visitors in Brazil, but who cer- 
tainly have never seen beyond a ship-chandlery, hotel, or at 
furthest some coast-city, have complained that Brazilians are in- 
hospitable, selfish, and altogether distrustful of strangers. As to 
inhospitality, away from the great towns it cannot be predicated of 
them; and even in Bio and Bahia, the largest cities of Brazil, I 
have met with the very warmest welcomes from Brazilians whom 



Hospitality and Kindness. 



311 



I had never seen until I handed them my letters of introduction. 
Among the pleasantest memories of my life will be the recollection 
of the kind hospitality manifested towards me by Brazilians at the 
metropolis, where more than elsewhere coldness is said to abound. 
As to selfishness and distrust of strangers, they possess the one in 
common with human nature, and of the other they do not possess 
more than is manifested by Englishmen or Americans when ap- 
proached by the newly-arrived foreigner without letters of recom- 
mendation. 

From the hotel of Senhor Francisco we went on board of our 
steamer. That evening a knot of our passengers, together with 
the captain and his mate, sat up to a late hour conversing in regard 
to the demoralizing literature which floods the land from France. 
They listened with great attention to remarks which were in favor 
of laying the axe at the root of the tree ; and a corrupt religion 
was measured by the only true standard, — that great Eule of Faith 
given to us by God in His word. 

The next day our steamer did not leave Santos until noon, so that 
I had an opportunity of going again to the warehouse of Senhor 
Yergueiro & Filhos. I was glad to find that the youngest Yergueiro 
was able to be in his counting-room, though Senhor Jose had not 
yet returned from the interior. He regretted much that I could 
not then accept the hospitality of their house, stating that his 
father had written to them requesting that they would pay me 
every possible attention, but hoped that on my return from San 
Francisco do Sul I would give them a long visit. All this was said 
in a manner so unaffected and cordial as to preclude all idea 
of formality or insincerity. 

At twelve o'clock the "vapor" left Santos, and we were soon 
steaming down the river. 

Santos is situated upon the northern portion of the island of S. 
Yicente, which is detached from the continent merely by the two 
mouths of the Cubatao Eiver. The principal stream affords en- 
trance at high-water to large vessels, and is usually called Eio de 
Santos up as far as that town. At its mouth, upon the northern 
bank, stands the fortress of S. Amaro. This relic of olden time is 
occupied by a handful of soldiers, whose principal employment is 
to go on board the vessels as they pass up and down, to serve as a 



312 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



guard against smuggling. The course of the river is winding and 
its bottom muddy. Its banks are low and covered with mangroves, 
so that the foreground is not very inviting; but from the wheel- 
house a fine prospect of back-country and distant mountains pre- 
sented themselves on the north. The captain pointed out the site 
of St. Yincent, — the first regularly-established colony in Brazil. 
How Martin Alfonso de Souza could have chosen this place in pre- 
ference to the present situation of Bio is indeed hard to account 
for, except on the ground that the Tamoyo Indians were too 
numerous around the Bay of Mtherohy. 

The sea becoming rough, I took to my old and sovereign remedy 
against nausea, — viz. : a good berth, — and did not rise until I found 
that the sun was high above the mountains, and that we were enter- 
ing the intricate harbor of Paranagua. Before crossing the bar, we 
saw outside a Brazilian schooner tossing up and down at anchor. The 
captain, with his glass, perceived that it was one chartered by the 
Steam-Packet Company, and was loaded with coals from which he 
was to obtain his fuel for the remainder of the voyage. It was of 
the utmost importance, then, that the schooner should cross the bar. 
With the present wind it would be impossible. The steamer's 
head was put for the schooner. It was with difficulty that any 
one became aroused, and then the utmost indifference was mani- 
fested by the captain of the little sailing-vessel at a proposition 
which would have made an English or a Yankee skipper dance 
with joy, — i.e. to be towed in. His drawling reply was, "Se o 
Senhor quizer" (If the gentleman wishes it.) This was perfectly in 
accordance with the general want of energy which characterizes a 

certain class of Brazilians. The vessel was attached to the P , 

and we were soon over the bar, steering up the difficult channel. 

A number of letters which I wrote to a friend during this voyage 
were preserved and afterward returned to me; and I have thought 
it best from time to time to introduce portions of them which possess 
at least the interest of being penned amid the scenes which they 
describe. The following was written from the next port south of 
Paranagua. (( San Prancisco d0 Sdi _ v 

" Province of Santa Catharina. / 

"This is not that San Francisco of wonderful growth, of adven- 
turers, and of golden dreams. As to gold, there is none; as to 



Order of Exercises ox the Steamer. 



313 



adventurers, only two runaway sailors; and as to rapid growth, 
that is reversed, for here there are plenty of houses to let, — plenty 
* hurrying [the only haste to be discovered] on to indistinct decay/ 

"But I will go back for a day or two in my journey. 

"I left Santos on the 15th. It is delightful to travel on a Bra- 
zilian steamer, provided that you are not in a hurry. They take 
things so easy: I mean both steamers and people. And let me say 
that, of all the travellers with whom I have ever voyaged, the Bra- 
zilians are the most good-natured and agreeable after you have 
made their acquaintance. They are very obliging, yet from time 
to time can display as much selfishness as other ' humans' on a 
vessel, — that little world in miniature, where all that is bad is easily 
brought to light. Pacienza is the motto of these steamers. "When 
you arrive at a town, after having been * terribly' pitched about 
and sea-sick, you may now count upon a good twenty -four or thirty- 
six hours on land. It is a great luxury. The passengers desert 
the vessel, (although good dinners are provided on shipboard,) and 
off they rush to the hotels; or, in default of this, they seek the 
Casas de Pasto, and feast to such an extent that you would deem 
them half famished. 

"The ( order of exercises' on board the steamer at sea may be 
easily stated. Each morning at six o'clock the cabin-boy wakes 
you up by giving you a cup of coffee, (noir,) and thirty or forty 
minutes afterward a large bowl of mingau, (arrowroot, or maize- 
mush,) well sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar, is placed on the 
table, and a strapping big fellow, fortified with a ladle, is ready to 
serve you with all the grace and celerity which appertains to the 
same kind of presiding genii that you meet with at the Faubourg 
du Temple in Paris. At ten o'clock a huge breakfast consisting of 
roast and boiled beef, pork, fresh fish, pirdo, (a dish of mandioca,) 
&c. &c, is placed before you. Fall to, help yourself, and your neigh- 
bors will do the same without any ritardo; and, when satisfied or 
fatigued with this operation, vary the business by imbibing the tea 
which the steward has just brought simmering in. Now mount 
the deck. If the sea is not heavy, pipes, cigars, and promenades 
are the next in the programme. The scenery on shore is my cigar; 
and up to the present time there has been no diminution of my 
enjoyment in this respect. If any thing, the mountains are still 



314 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



more fantastic and varied than at Bio, and the bays and islets are 
perfectly picturesque. The passengers are full of pranks and jokes 
for an hour or so, and then they take a nap or read. I will venture 
to assert there never was before so much Bible-reading on board 
of a Brazilian vessel. On account of the warmth of the climate, 
each of these coast-steamers have, all around the upper deck, little 
cabins, or, more properly, respectable dog-houses, with a sliding- 
door. Although there are comfortable berths below, these upper 
apartments are the choicest to be had; for, night or day, you are 
always sure of fresh, pure air. My fellow-passengers were stretched 
around in these little cabins with the sliding-doors pushed back, and 




VIEW OF PARANAGUA. 

I thus nad an opportunity of seeing them as I walked the deck. 
I was often called upon to explain the Scriptures, and rejoiced in 
the opportunity of scattering the seed, which, though sown in ap- 



The "Cormorant" and the Slavers. 315 



parently unpropitious ground, the Master can cause to spring up 
an hundredfold. 

"We arrived at Paranagua on the Saturday morning after leav- 
ing Kio, and now I can say that I have been in the newest Bra- 
zilian province, — that of Parana. The entrance of the bay is a 
perfect puzzle, and the mountains beyond the city are both lofty 
and picturesque. While the sun was streaming down upon the 
deck of our steamer, I took a rough sketch of a portion of the 
outer harbor, which I herewith enclose to you, premising the im- 
possibility to do justice to this whole coast without the power of a 
Constable, a Turner, or a Calame. 

" Paranagua was formerly a celebrated rendezvous for scoundrels 
of all nations engaged in the slave-trade ; and when the British 
Government, a few years ago, ordered its cruisers to make a 
vigorous demonstration on the Brazilian coast, the 'Cormorant/ 
of the Koyal Navy, steamed up these sinuosities, entered the har- 
bor, and cut out a whole nest of slavers. The fort was well situated 
near the bar, and H. B. M. 1 Cormorant' must pass that point. After 
a slight resistance before yielding their vessels, the pirate captains 
and crews ran around by land to the fort and manned the guns, 
anxiously awaiting the ' Cormorant' as she should proceed to sea, 
dragging her trophies after her. Proudly she again ploughed 
through the winding approach to the ocean. The guns of the fort 
were well pointed, but H.B.M. 'Cormorant' proved to be as much 
of a sagacious fox as a rapacious bird, for, perceiving the trap laid 
for her, she prepared a most ' artful dodge.' Her crew very adroitly 
placed the largest slaver between herself (the man-of-war) and the 
fort, and then onward steamed the 'Cormorant.' Bang went the 
cannon of the fortress: the balls touched not the bird of prey; but, 
in the twinkling of an eye, she slipped beyond the slaver, discharged 
the heavy guns from her bows, and the dislodged cannon of the fort 
told how capital had been the aim of H.B.M.'s gunners. The 
slavers, however, prepared to respond; but the discreet 'Cormorant' 
cunningly retired behind the big vessel, though but for an instant. 
She sailed once more onward, and discharged her farewell shot with 
such telling effect upon the old fort that the inmates made no 
further attempt to hinder the 'Cormorant/ which soon gained the 
open sea, and in a few moments, by skilful scuttling, put the slave- 



316 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



vessels beyond the reach of o trqfico, as you know the Brazilians 
call the accursed slave-trade. 

"Most of our passengers went ashore here, many of them bound 
for Curitiba, the capital of this new province. Their great kind- 
ness I shall not soon forget ; and I am happy to think that they 
will carry the Bible, perhaps for the first time, where probably 
few have ever seen the records of salvation. 

" I also went ashore. Paranagua is a pretty and a clean town,— 
a little in decay I thought at first ; but a second inspection told me 
that I had not done justice to the only port of Parana. This town 
contains about three thousand inhabitants, and annually exports 
mate to the amount of one million of dollars. Mate is the dried 
leaves and young stems of a species of oak which is gathered 
in the interior and brought down in raw-hide cases, exceedingly 
tightly packed, and is hence shipped for the Spanish-American 
Bepublics. 

"I found a number of large wholesale stores doing a good busi- 
ness with those who brought hither the products of the back- 
country. One of these merchants invited me to go to the house 
of his brother for the purpose of examining a map of the province, 
which I had in vain sought for in the metropolis, the boundaries 
not having as yet been definitely fixed. Fancy my feelings when, 
after threading a number of streets, I entered a house where a 
recent floor-scrubbing made every thing appear damp, and a large 
map was brought forth which seemed to have imbibed as much of 
humidity as possible without being wet ; and, though it was perfect 
in every part save one, that part was just what I wished to see, — 
viz. : the boundary between Parana and S. Paulo. Moisture, mil- 
dew, and mice had carefully eradicated every design of the engineer 
and every scratch of the engraver, so that I was left to return, 
mourning over the mutability of maps and the carelessness of man 
in Paranagua. 

"In one of the streets the ruins of a church attracted my atten- 
tion ; and I was informed that it was an edifice nearly completed 
by the Jesuits when they were expelled. You can scarcely travel 
a hundred miles along the Brazilian sea-coast (which stretches, 
with' its bays and inlets, nearly four thousand miles) without 
encountering, in some rich valley or upon some picturesque emi- 



The Bussians and the Prima Donna. 



317 



nence, the immense churches, chapels, and convents of this order, 
whose members entered Brazil when its prosperity was at its 
height and when its ambition was hindered by no external circum- 
stances. I have been more surprised at the hugeness of some of 
the conventual edifices in Brazil than at any thing of the kind I 
have ever seen in France, Germany, or Italy. 

"As the little canoe in which we went from the steamer to the 
town neared the inner harbor, where vessels were moored close to 
the shore, I perceived two which looked remarkably desolate and 
forlorn. They were Eussian vessels which were found near this 
port at the commencement of hostilities, and, fearing to be nabbed 
by some H.B.M. 1 Bulldog/ ' Grabber/ or 'Jowler/ slid into this 
out-of-the-way place. It appears very singular to see these 
Northern birds of the ocean clipped of their wings here. They are 
truly out of place ; for their yards are taken off, the topmasts are 
down, and, with their stiff hulks, awnings of canvas in the house- 
roof style, and with their general want of rigging, they seem like 
the 'Fury' and 'Hecla' in their Greenland clothes, or rather as 
if the winter-bound Bay of Archangel were their resting-place, and 
it and the surrounding shores were suddenly clad by the 'Hand 
divine' with the warmth and flowers and verdure of this perpetual- 
summer land. 

"When, on my return, I reached the steamer, I found that a 
lady whose peculiar taste in dress had attracted the attention of 
all on board was attended by a number of 1 spruce gentlemen' 
whose well-trimmed moustaches and highly-polished patent-leather 
shoes indicated that they belonged to a class very different from 
the poncho-clad passengers bound to Curitiba and the Sertoes. It 
was not long before I ascertained that the lady in question was the 
< bright particular star' of a theatrical company then travelling the 
provinces, and that the gentlemen were from the same establish- 
ment, they having arrived some days previous to their prima 
donna assoluta. 

"The passengers who were destined for Santa Catharina re- 
mained that night upon the steamer; but the next day, (Sunday,) 
at an early hour, all left, with the exception of myself, to pass the 
hours of sacred time at Paranagua, where a grand festa was to take 
place in honor of some saint. One of the greatest inducements was 



318 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



to attend the theatrical performances of the strolling actors, who 
were to give dignity and honor to the occasion by stupid and 
vulgar comedies. You will think, perhaps, '"What is the use of 
disseminating the word of God among such a people?' I will 
reply, 'Be not weary in well-doing;' and it is God's own word. 
My duty is to scatter it far and wide, to preach it by precept 
whenever I can, and by example always, and then leave the rest 
to Him. I have already found more than one notable instance in 
Brazil, where a Bible, left under circumstances just as untoward, 
has produced its fruits. 

"I spent my day on board, but had very little quiet while the 
steamer was receiving her cargo of coals from the schooner along- 
side, from which — in some manner very unaccountable to the 
skipper — there were many tons short. I had all to myself, 
a large table well spread with viands; but, being of a social 
nature, I invited the engineer (a common-sense and wide-awake 
fellow of the Manchester machine-shop stripe) and the Brazilian 
second mate to join me. I find out from the Englishman that 
there are many of his countrymen and their children at the Saude, 
[a division of the municipality of Bio de Janeiro,] uncared-for 
either morally or intellectually. They are too far from the Eng- 
lish church to attend service : but this plea of distance perhaps is 
only put forward to hide the real one of indifference. Now, can 
you not put something in train for them ? They are workmen, 
and he says that both adults and children are not doing what they 
ought, one class running to cacha^a and the other to ignorance, and 
' Sunday is no Sunday.' Next year there are a thousand English 
and Irish laborers coming out for the Pedro Segundo Bailway, and, 

on account of the distance and the pulpit-duties of Mr. , a 

clergyman, he cannot have facilities for attending to their minds 
or souls. 

[In regard to the matter here referred to, some English ladies 
and an American theological student (then on a visit to Brazil) 
took it up, and interested both English and American merchants 
in the plan. They furnished the means, and, just as all was well 
organized, a competent man was found in an English mate, then 
on his homeward voyage from Australia, and intending to devote 
the remainder of his days to God in some other employment than 



Letters op Introduction. 



319 



that of following the ocean, and was persuaded to take charge of 
the new school, which in a short time was in full operation, and 
disseminating its ameliorating influences upon both parents and 
children.] 

"The next day (Monday) we left Paranagua. After a fine run 
of eight hours along a coast abounding in repetitions of Corco- 
vados and Peaks of Tijuca, we entered the safe Bay of San Fran- 
cisco do Sul. 

"Letters of introduction are great things in Brazil. They have 
smoothed the way for me everywhere previous to arriving at this 
port, and I here find no exception to the general rule expressed 
in the line above. Mr. Y., the agent of the steamer, received me 
very kindly, and my boxes were soon despatched and landed upon 
the beach, which was filled with fishermen, mulatto women, half- 
naked children, and an indescribable lot of sundries in the shape 
of timber, rice spread out to dry, canoes drawn up, &c. &c. In 
another hour the steamer had rounded the promontory, and was 
soon out of sight on its way to Desterro. So, for the present, 1 
will say, — Adeos." 



CHAPTEE XYII. 



THE PROVINCE OF PARANA" — MESSAGE OF ITS FIRST PRESIDENT — MAT£, OR PARA- 
GUAY TEA — ITS CULTURE AND PREPARATION — GROWS IN NORTH CAROLINA — SAN 
FRANCISCO DO SUL — EXPECTATIONS NOT FULFILLED — CANOE-VOYAGE — MY COM- 
PANIONS NOT WHOLLY CARNIVOROUS — A TRAVELLED TRUNK — THE TOLLING-BELL 
BIRD — ARRIVAL AT JOINVILLE — A NEW SETTLEMENT. 

The province of Parana, whose chief port, Paranagua, I had 
just left, merits a still further mention. It commenced its full 
provincial career about the year 1853, though for a number of 
years previously projects had been entertained in the General 
Assembly at Eio to set off the comarca of Curitiba from San Paulo 
as a distinct province. As to its limits, they are essentially 
those of the old district of Curitiba. Its first President, Zacarias 
de Goes e Yascon cellos, was Minister of Marine in 1852-53, and is 
one of the instances so frequent in Brazil of a young man who, 
rising rapidly by his talents, attains the highest positions of State. 
He is probably the youngest person ever called to take a seat in 
the Imperial Cabinet, where by his eloquence and by his readiness 
at response (for the ministers are interpellated as formerly in 
France and as now in England) he rose to an eminent place among 
the statesmen of Brazil. 

In 1854, he opened for the first time the Provincial Assembly of 
Parana, and his Eelatorios (messages) of that year and the follow- 
ing, now both before me, display ability and research. 

He places the population at 62,000, only one-sixth of which is 
composed of slaves; and, if his statistics be correct, the province of 
Parana must enjoy a salubrity beyond any other portion of the 
world, — the births exceeding the deaths between two and three 
hundred per cent. 

He enforces upon the legislators the duty of making the com- 
mon-school education far more obligatory than it is. "Primary 
320 



Education and Paraguay Tea. 



321 



instruction," he urges, "is more than a mere right of thej3hild, a 
duty discharged toward him; it is a rigorous obligation. It is 
thus that you (the representatives) should consider and dispose of 
the subject in the legislation of the new province. 

"The people oblige themselves to be vaccinated. They respond 
to this without fail, for vaccination is a preservative from fatal 
pestilence. 

"Now, primary instruction is, so to speak, a moral vaccine, which * 
preserves the people from that worst of pestilences, — ignorance, — 
from those crude notions which bring man to the level of the brute, 
and which change him into the fit and facile instrument for rob- 
bery, assassination, revolution, and, in fine, for all evil. 

"Primary education is more: it is a kind of baptism with which 
man is regenerated from the dark ignorance in which he is born, 
and truly effects his entrance into civil society and into the enjoy- 
ment of those rights and privileges which are his heritage." 

When we consider what are the views of Eoman Catholics in re- 
gard to baptism, we can see the force of the remarks of Senhor 
Zacarias. 

The President does not merely confine his attention to the early 
training of the youth of his provincial charge, but his remarks in 
reference to the various branches of agriculture show him to be 
a man of enlarged views, and that he is as ready to combat indo- 
lence as ignorance. He alludes to the fact that wheat was for- 
merly not only an article of cultivation in the fertile comarca of 
Curitiba, but that it was exported. This branch of agriculture is 
now almost abandoned, and, according to his statements, because a 
large portion of the population, eschewing the labor required in the 
production of the cereals, rush to the virgin forests, and there, 
stripping the evergreen leaves and the tender branches of the Ilex 
Paraguay ensis, easily convert them into the popular South American 
beverage known as the yerba mate or herva Paraguaya, and thus 
amass fortunes or obtain a livelihood without the intervention of 
persevering industry or great exertion. 

Large quantities of this kind of tea are annually exported from 
the province of Parana. Senhor Zacarias would not have the tea- 
bearing Ilex uprooted "to produce the same effect as the vigorous 
Marquis de Pombal brought about by the destruction, in the last 

21 



322 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



century, of the vineyards of Portugal; but he wishes to control its 
gathering, to moderate the inclinations and the causes that push 
the people into this branch of labor for a few months and then 
leave them indolent for the remainder of the year. 

The mate of Paraguay, doubtless from prejudice, is considered 
superior in quality to that of Parana; but the inhabitants of the 
interior neighboring Spanish provinces prefer the former to the 
latter, as they are accustomed to use the beverage without sugar; 
while in the cities of Buenos Ayres and Montevideo the former is 
the favorite, and is almost always sweetened before consumption. 

In the interior of the province of San Paulo, after my visit to 
Santa Catharina, I met with an American physician, a man of 
great scientific tastes and acquirements, who has taken up his 
residence in South America for the purpose of research in his 
favorite study of botany. In the course of many interesting con- 
versations with him in regard to the various vegetable riches and 
wonders of the surrounding regions, I was not a little pleased to 
find that he was perfectly acquainted with the mode of prepara- 
tion, as well as the class and family, of the plant in question. 
Mate, as I have already mentioned, is the name of the prepared 
article of the tree or shrub which is commonly known to botanists 
as the Ilex Paraguayensis. It is classified by Yon Martius as be- 
longing to the Rhamnee family, and he gives it the scientific name 
of Cassine Gongonha. The Spaniards usually denominate it Yerba 
de Paraguay, or mate. 

While in Paranagua, I observed many raw-hide cases which the 
blacks were unloading from mules or conveying to the ships riding 
at anchor in the beautiful bay. Upon inquiry, I learned that these 
packages, weighing about one hundred and twenty pounds each, 
consisted of mate. This substance, so little known out of South 
America, forms truly the principal refreshing beverage of the 
Spanish Americans south of the Equator, and millions of dollars are 
annually expended in Buenos Ayres, Bolivia, Peru, and Chili in its 
consumption. This town of Paranagua, containing about three 
thousand inhabitants, exports every year nearly a million of dollars' 
worth of mate. 

In Brazil and in Paraguay it can be gathered during the whole 
year. Parties go into the forest, or places where it abounds, and 



Paraguay Tea in North Carolina. 



323 



break off the branches with the leaves. A process of kiln-drying is 
resorted to in the woods, and afterward the branches and leaves are 
transported to some rude mill, and there they are by water-power 
pounded in mortars. 

The substance, after this operation, is almost a powder, though 
small stems denuded of their bark are always permitted to remain. 
By this simple process the mate is prepared for market. Its pre- 
paration for drinking is equally simple. A small quantity of the 
leaf, either with or without sugar, is placed in a common bowl, upon 
which cold water is poured. After standing a short time, boiling 
water is added, and it is at once ready for use. Americans who 
have visited Buenos Ayres or Montevideo may remember to have 
seen, on a fine summer evening, the denizens of that portion of the 
world engaged in sipping, through long tubes inserted into highly- 
ornamented cocoanut bowls, a liquid which, though not so palata- 
ble as iced juleps, is certainly far less harmful. These citizens of 
Montevideo and Buenos Ayres were enjoying with their bombilhas 
a refreshing draught of mate. It must be imbibed through a tube, 
on account of the particles of leaf and stem which float upon the 
surface of the liquid. This tube has a fine globular strainer at 
the end. 

Great virtues are ascribed to this tea. It supplies the place of 
meat and drink. Indians who have been laboring at the oar all 
day feel immediately refreshed by a cup of the herb mixed simply 
with river- water. In Chili and Peru the people believe that they 
could not exist without it, and many persons take it every hour 
of the day. Its use was learned from the natives; but, having been 
adopted, it spread among the Spaniards and Portuguese, until the 
demand became so great as' to render the herb of Paraguay almost 
as fatal to the Indians of this part of America as mines and pearl- 
fisheries had been elsewhere. 

It grows wild, and never has been successfully cultivated, 
although attempts were made by the Jesuits of Paraguay to trans- 
plant^ from the forests to their plantations. These attempts have 
been considered by many without result; still, there are others who 
consider that the experiment justifies further efforts, and are urging 
this day the domestication, so to speak, and the cultivation, of mate 
under a regular system. 



324 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



But that which astonished me most in the doctor's conversation 
was the statement that a shrub similar to the Ilex Paraguayensis 
was indigenous to the United States, and that a decoction of its 
leaves and branches was actually used as a beverage in the region 
where it grew. 

His life had been full of adventure in every portion of the globe; 
and, when he was a younger man, he roamed over each Southern 
and Western State, hunting for the weed which was vulgarly sup- 
posed to cause the " milk-sickness." Although he did not find the 
cause of that disease, which has so damaged many a speculation in 
Western towns and villages, yet he made the acquaintance of a 
little tree in North Carolina, from the leaves of which many of 
the country-people of the old North State "make tea." If I re- 
member rightly, he informed me that it was the Ilex euponia; but 
scientific readers must not hold me responsible for this name, as 
my note-book may probably mislead me. A few years afterward, 

Dr. was in this, the most glorious field for a botanist in the 

world, — this Southern Brazil, whose magnificent flora has been the 
wild delight of every favored follower of Linnasus who has been 
permitted to enter it. In the course of his rambles he encountered 
the Ilex Paraguayensis, and immediately saluted it as his old ac- 
quaintance (under features but little different) of North Carolina. 
Some months elapsed, and he visited Paranagua; and he was almost 
as much surprised at another discovery, which was not, however, 
in the botanical line. He found, in this out-of-the-way part of 
Brazil, an American woman engaged in the delightful art of 
preparing feijoes and toucinho (pork and beans) for natives and 
foreigners who might patronize her establishment. In conversa- 
tion with Dr. in regard to the mate, she exclaimed, "Why, 

doctor, this is the same truck we use in Caroliner to make tea." 
Here was a most striking confirmation of the true conclusion 
of science. 

Now, if this tree or bush really abounds in North Carolina, why 
may not the enterprise of some of her citizens add to the exports 
(laid down in every geography as tar, tobacco, turpentine, and 
lumber) mate? Brazil and Paraguay are reaping their millions 
from a shrub which grows spontaneously, and the subject is really 
worth investigation in the United States. 



San Francisco do Sul. 



325 



Eeturning from the new province of Parana, attention will be 
now directed to the province of Santa Catharina. 

San Francisco is an ancient town which has evidently seen better 
days. The arrival of a stranger with such a peculiar cargo as 
mine created quite a sensation in the usually-stagnant society of 
this northern portion of the province of Santa Catharina. All the 
idlers, gossipers, men of business, and even the Padre, came to see 
the new books. The priest found no objection to them, and two 
hours had not elapsed before they were all disposed of, and I made 
my arrangements to ascend the river San Francisco do Sul to the 
German and French colonies founded on the lands once belonging 
to the Prince de Joinville. 

In the mean time, with Mr. Y. and two new acquaintances, both 
Germans, 1 strolled around the town, which is finely situated 
on an island separated from the mainland only by a very small 
stream. Before us stretched a bay three miles in width and six in 
length. It is well protected from the ocean, and in it is discharged 
the river San Francisco do Sul, which flows from the mountains 
that rear their green summits far in the distance. That lofty ridge, 
in its highest elevation, is more than four thousand feet above the 
level of the sea, and from its inland base to the rich plain where 
Curitiba is situated there is a gradual ascent of twenty miles. 
With an energetic people, this district — which in regard to fertility 
and climate is one of the finest in the world — would bloom with a 
cultivation not surpassed by the rich fields of Lombardy or the 
model farms of Midlothian. 

Great hopes were entertained at the beginning of this century 
that San Francisco do Sul would become a flourishing mart, on 
account of the road which would open the high plains to the com- 
merce of the bay. Furthermore, there was great activity at that 
time, the chief occupation of the inhabitants consisting in ship- 
building and in the cutting of timber. Vessels of large dimensions 
were formerly built here, as well as coasters, at the order of mer- 
chants from Eio, Bahia, and Pernambuco. The wood used was so 
strong, holding the iron so firmly, that ships built of it were of the 
most durable quality, and were in greater esteem with the Portu- 
guese and Spaniards than those built in Europe. In 1808, Mr. 
Mawe, one of the earliest English voyagers in Brazil, wrote that, 



826 Brazil and the Brazilians. 



on account of its ship-building, "the harbor of San Francisco do 
Sul is likely to become of considerable value to Brazil; and if it 
be connected with Curitiba, the cattle of which have been found 
superior to those of Eio Grande, there is every probability that at 
no distant day the Portuguese navy will touch here to be supplied 
with salt provisions." 

As I looked upon the silent streets of San Francisco, — as I be- 
held its bay innocent of any vessel except the smallest coasters, 
and its once-busy shipyards containing but two small man di oca 
sloops upon the stocks, — I thought how wide a difference there was 
between the reality of the present and the speculations of half 
a century ago in regard to the commercial activity and future 
growth of the town, situated upon the waters of Babitonga, by 
which name the natives called the bay. It was thought that the 
establishment of a colony of Europeans in the vicinity of the de- 
caying town would resuscitate it; but thus far there has been no 
such result, and I fear that many a year will elapse before this 
can be accomplished. 

I determined to start for the colony at an early hour the next 
morning, and to this end Mr. Y. kindly sought for a canoe belong- 
ing to a gigantic slave who rejoiced in the appropriate name of 
Jose Grande. After nightfall the African made his appearance, 
and it was settled that we should commence our trip at three and 
a half o'clock in the morning. 

Mr. Y. regretted that the circumstance of his boarding prevented 
his offering me his hospitality, but recommended me to a hotel, or, 
more properly speaking, a regular country-inn, which had just 
been opened by a German from the colony of Donna Francisca. 
My experience in that establishment was at the time detailed in a 
letter to a friend at Bio : — - 

"Herr Sneider, mine host, and all his family, spoke scarcely 
any thing but German, and as much of English and Portuguese 
as can be compressed into £ yes' and 1 Sim, Senhor/ By-the-way, 
I have picked up a certain quantum of that same jaw-breaking 
language of Goethe and Schiller, which I have neglected since my 
university days for the tongues of Southern Europe. My supper 
was perfectly German ; for it closed with beer, which, in default of 
barley, had been made from rice, that abounds in this vicinity. 



Herr Sneider's Inn. 



327 



Having finished my repast, I gave orders that, as they had pre- 
pared supper enough for three men, the remainder should be 
arranged for my breakfast in the canoe, as it would be entirely 
too early to partake of that meal before embarking. 

" We then had a mutual -instruction society, — an exchange of Eng- 
lish and German. How many children there were I cannot say; 
but there was any quantity of blooming fresh frauleins from nine- 
teen years and downward, together with a number of healthy, rosy 
boys. It had been so long since I had looked upon blue-eyed and 
fair-haired children that they were quite a curiosity. Having 
occasion to see Mr. Y. before retiring, I said to them, ' I go now to 
Mr. Y.'s: when I return, I wish to have a large room and a good 
clean bed/ A patron of the inn informed me that I should be 
thus accommodated in every particular. 

" When I again entered Herr Sneider's, I was told that my room 
was ready, and, upon my signifying my intention to go to bed, the 
whole family, — Herr S., Frau S., Frauleins S., and the boys, — to my 
astonishment, followed me to the apartment, which proceeding I 
did not fancy, because it did not seem quite convenable, taking into 
view the feminine portion of the procession. I, however, concluded 
to be led to my quarters, of which I entertained the highest ex- 
pectations. These expectations were realized so far as the size of 
the chamber was concerned ; but, unfortunately, mine was not the 
only bed in it, for there were four or five others, filled with snoring 
occupants. I determined to be gracious and make no complaint, 
for assuredly my clean sheets would make up for a little too much 
of society. So, pulling down the supposed coverlet, I found that it 
was a feather-bed for a regular Prussian winter. These Germans, 
when they left Fatherland, could conceive of no country where 
winter and snow could not even be exotic. I discovered also that, 
instead of the good, healthy, and hard Brazilian mattress, there 
was a second huge feather-bed j and I must thrust myself between 
these. When my eyes got beyond the first, I found my clean 
sheets to be of the color of the dirty Minas cotton which so plentifully 
(or scantily, as the case may be) clothes the slaves throughout the 
Empire. A closer inspection informed me that they had seen 
whiter days, and had also made the acquaintance of many other 
lodgers, which fact I roundly asserted, and to which they partly 



328 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



assented. I, however, resolved to make the best of it, when they 
would let me, — for they hung around as if they would never give 
me the opportunity of going to rest. A young German ship- 
chandler had his bed in the same room, and, without ceremony, 
commenced to divest himself before the company preparatory to 
sleep. This I could hardly do, and seated myself and began to 
read. Finally the family left me, with many schlafen Sie wohl. 
Having read as long as I wished, I determined to enter my bed, 
fortified with a pair of pantaloons, (I had not forgotten the 
sheets,) which after a time, proving rather uncomfortable with 
feather-beds, I threw to one side. But this operation caused 
the young ship-chandler much concern; for, hearing me moving 
around in the dark, and supposing me ill, he screamed for the 
family, and the scene which ensued is indescribable with pen : 
only the pencil of Bembrandt could depict the depth of shadow 
and the rich chiaro-oscuro, and that of Teniers the ruddy, 
jolly features of the group of young Germans thus aroused 
to see what was the matter with the American, who by this 
time was snugly ensconced in his bed and almost bursting with 
laughter. 

"I slept badly, and at half-past three o'clock heard the pon- 
derous step of Jose Grande. Following him through the deep 
gloom that hung around, we (for I had given a bright German lad 
permission to go with me) entered the canoe, which was soon 
shoved from the shore, and were propelled by Jose toward Donna 
Francisca. Young Germany and myself lay down in the bottom 
of the narrow 'dug-out.' 

" The morning was dark and drizzly, and a feeling of loneliness 
crept over me as I lay listening to the pattering raindrops and the 
dripping oar disturbing the oppressive silence. I thought of those 
so dear to me, but who now were separated from me by thousands 
of miles of ocean ; but I was less lonely when I breathed a prayer 
for them and felt in my heart the ever-cheering sentiment of 
poor Pringle : — 

" 'A still small voice comes through the wild, 
(Like a father consoling his fretful child,) 
Which banishes bitterness, wrath, and fear, — 
SayiDg, "Man is distant, but God is near I" ' 



A Travelled Trunk. 



329 



"I tried to sleep, but it was impossible; so, after three hours, I 
said to Jose, ' We will breakfast/ On opening the budget, I found 
two plates, four pieces of meat, and — nothing else, — not even a knife 
and fork ; but, as I am neither a lion, a vulture, nor even a Guacho 
of Corrientes, I could not breakfast on flesh alone. The rain had 
now ceased, and I proposed to Jose to land and to purchase some- 
thing from one of the farm-houses on shore. 'JVdo tern nada, senhor,' 
('They have nothing,') was Jose's sage reply. jSTevertheless, at my 
request, he put into a pretty cove at the foot of a mountain, and 
sallied forth for a bargain. He soon returned, accompanied by a 
sickly-looking boy, bringing oranges, bananas, and enough farinha 
for four men. Young Germany and myself fell to work while 
Jose's strong arm was sending us over the glassy waters. At Eio 
de Janeiro I had often looked with admiration upon the slaves in 
the boats stuffing and throwing farinha into their mouths ; but I 
never then dreamed that I should employ my digits for the same 
purposes. I must admit, however, that there was neither grace- 
fulness nor dexterity on my part j for my face became powdered 
with the effort to ' pitch in' the farinha a la Brazilienne. We had 
one other compagnon de voyage, but not an eating one. Faithful old 
trunk ! What sketches thou mightest give of Europe, America, 
(Xorth and South,) and of the African Isles ! — what scenes thou hast 
witnessed in three zones, on the Atlantic and the Pacific Oceans, 
in the Straits of Majellan and on the Isthmus of Panama, in the 
Mexican Gulf, and, lastly, on the Eio San Francisco do Sul ! Each 
time that I open thee, and see there imprinted 'W. S. Chase, 
trunk and harness maker, Providence, E.L,' my thoughts run 
over the past, and I recall the bright summer-day that I bought 
thee, when on the eve of my first voyage 'over the seas and 
far away.' Thou callest up a host of memories, — 

' the fond recollections of former years, — 
And the shadows of things that have long since fled 
Flit over the brain like the ghosts of the dead.' 

'' Speaking of sketches, I send you one which I took of myself 
and fellow-voyagers. They are after (a very long way, indeed) 
a compound of Gainsborough and Turner, with a slight addition 
of Wilkie and Kenny Meadows thrown in." 



330 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

The river became narrower, and every moment some large 
aquatic bird would be startled by our voices or by the dash of the 
oar. Now it would be a beautiful white ibis, then a blue heron or 
a band of dancing cranes. From the mangrove-bushes and the 




ASCENDING THE RIO S. FRANCISCO DO SUL. 



more distant woods we could hear the sometimes harsh and some- 
times musically-solemn sound of the uruponga, or tolling-bell bird, 
making the air resonant with its peculiar and solitary note. I had 
listened again and again to these birds in my journeys in different 
parts of Brazil, but I never had the good fortune to see but one, 
and that was in the province of San Paulo. The sound which the 
uruponga (what a sweet aboriginal onomatope !) sends forth varies 
little, but it can always be said to be metallic. To hear it from 
afar, it is not unlike the tolling of a bell ; but, when distance does 
not mellow the cadence, it is more like striking an anvil or the 
filing of a large piece of iron. To listen to it in a Brazilian forest 
at mid-day, ringing forth its mournful knell when every other 
songster is mute, powerfully disposes one 

" To musing and dark melancholy.*' 

"Wallace says, in his account of the Amazonian regions, "We 
had the good fortune one day to fall in with a small flock of 



The Tolling-Bell Bird. 



331 




URUPONGA, OR 
TOLLIN G-B ELL BIRD. 



the rare and curious bell-bird, (Casmarhynchos carunculata,) but 
they were on a very thick, lofty tree, and took flight before we 
could get a shot at them. Though it was about four miles off in 
the forest, we went again the next day, and found them feeding on 
the same tree, but had no better success. On the third day we 
went to the same spot, but from that time saw them no more. 
The bird is of a pure white color, the size 
of a blackbird, has a broad bill, and feeds 
on fruits. From the base of the bill above 
grows a fleshy tubercle, two or three 
inches long and as thick as a quill, sparingly 
clothed with minute feathers : it is quite 
lax, and hangs down on one side of the 
bird's head. The bird is remarkable for 
its loud, clear, ringing note, — like a bell, — 
which it utters at mid-day, when most other birds are silent." 

"VYaterton, in his wanderings in Demerara, often alludes to the 
campanero, (uruponga.) In one passage he says, "It never fails to 
attract the attention of the 
passenger : at a distance 
of nearly three miles you 
may hear this snow-white 
bird tolling every four or 
five minutes, like the dis- 
tant convent-bell. From 
six to nine a.m. the forests 
resound with the mingled 
strains of the feathered 
race; after this they gra- 
dually die away. From 
eleven to three all nature 
is hushed in midnight 
silence, and scarce a note 
is heard saving that of the 
campanero." 

No bird has been more 
misrepresented by artists than the uruponga. The mistake has 
been iu copying stuffed specimens. The accompanying illustration 




332 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



is one of many that represents the uruponga with a stiff horn in 
the unicorn style. The body is well enough, but the rhinoceros- 
appendage is utterly at variance with nature. The little engraving 
is a correct likeness of this singular bird, whose small, flexible, and 
drooping appendage is very similar to that which is a part and 
parcel of every turkeycock. 

I was struck by the fact that, though the aquatic birds were at 
first startled by us, they did not seem to have much fear. They 
flapped their great wings and moved slowly from us a few paces, 
and then speedily resumed their former position. 

On, on sped our canoe under the sturdy strokes of Jose. The 
scenery was still more striking and beautiful. A background of 
high mountains was prefaced by gentle eminences and by a woody 
margin of bright-green trees. Even the tall African, whom no 
one would have suspected of a taste for these glorious views, ex- 
claimed, from time to time, "E muito bonito, senhor!" ("It is very 
beautiful, sir.") By the way, Jose gave me his idea of Protestants, 
— viz. : people who were not baptized, and were destined to 
inferno. 

After some hours' rowing, the river became exceedingly narrow, 
so that the trees, with their rich parasites, completely overarched 
us. This was near the new village of Joinville, in the colony of 
Donna Francisca. We jumped ashore, tied our canoe to the stump 
of a recently-fallen tree, and tramped over — or, rather, through — a 
road which was like a sponge soaked with water. Here, indeed, 
was the beginning of a new town in the wilderness, — houses stuck 
down in the woods, and plenty of mud and children : but for the 
difference of the flora, I would have believed myself beyond the 
Missouri, on the borders of Kansas. On every side the forest was 
to be seen, and here and there an opening, in the centre of which 
was the cabin of the colonist. The smallness and newness of the 
houses, the deadened trees, the muddy streets, and the general 
appearance of every thing, reminded me of a pioneer settlement 
in the West. It was curious to see men from the Ehine, and 
some from the environs of Berlin, here planted amid wild woods, 
in cottages of the rudest construction, thatched with palm- 
leaves. 

The "Hotel" of Herr Palma was my goal, and a hearty welcome 



The Welcome. 



333 



awaited me; for the letters of Mr. V., in addition to the pros- 
pect of gain from the stranger, prompted it. The German cannot 
forget his native land; and one glance showed me that, though 
hard work must necessarily be the morning, noon, and night regime 
of the colonist in these woods, yet here were all the appliances for 
amusement, — a ballroom, a gallery for the orchestra, and a ten-pin 
alley. Mine host sent immediately for the schoolmaster, so that 
I might receive every mark of honor and distinguished village- 
consideration. 



CHAPTEE XVIII. 

COLONIA DONNA FRANCISCA — THE SCHOOL-TEACHER — THE CLERGYMAN — A TURK — 

BIBLE-DISTRIBUTION — SUSPECTED A B C — THE FALLEN FOREST THE HOUSE OF 

THE DIRECTOR A RUNAWAY — THE VILLAGE CEMETERY — MORAL "WANTS 

ORCHIDACEOUS PLANTS CHARLATANISM SAN FRANCISCO JAIL — THE BURIAL OF 

THE INNOCENT, AND THE MONEY-MAKING PADRE — THE PROVINCE OF STA. CATHA- 

RINA — DESTERRO BEAUTIFUL SCENERY — SHELLS AND BUTTERFLIES — COAL-MINES 

PROVINCE OF RIO GRANDE DO SUL — HERDS AND HERDSMEN THE LASSO 

INDIANS — FORMER PROVINCIAL REVOLTS — PRESENT TRANQUILLITY ASSURED BY 
THE OVERTHROW OF ROSAS. 

The Colonia Donna Francisca is a new enterprise, whose origin 
may be stated in a few words. In 1843, Prince de Joinville mar- 
ried Donna Francisca, the sister of the Emperor of Brazil. With 
her hand he received, as a dower, a large forest-estate in the pro- 
vince of Santa Catharina. A few years ago, at some of the 
watering-places of Germany, the Prince met with Senator Schroeder, 
of Hamburg, who proposed to him a plan for making his dower 
profitable, — viz. : to grant a certain portion of land to a company, 
who should form a colony upon it. The Prince granted nine square 
leagues, reserving a certain number of acres for himself in the most 
desirable situations. The company was formed, and agreed to 
bring out some sixteen hundred colonists within a given time. 
From March, 1851, to March, 1855, the number, according to con- 
tract, had arrived. The greater portion of the colonists are from 
German Switzerland, though France and Germany are represented 
by a respectable minority. The village of Joinville contains about 
sixty houses; in the surrounding country there are one hundred 
and twenty buildings, and others in construction. After deducting 
deaths, there are something like fifteen hundred inhabitants in this 
colony; while there are a considerable number of French, and 
French Swiss, in an adjoining colony founded by Prince de Joinville 
334 



The Teacher and the Clergyman. 



335 



on his own lands. Two-thirds of all the colonists are doubtless 
Protestants, while the other third are Komanists. 

WJtat will be the success of the colony remains to be seen. The 
colonists, with few exceptions, are not of the first class who seek 
the New World; and doubtless the company, wishing to fulfil their 
contract as to numbers, were not by any means careful in the 
selection of the emigrants. They are obliged to pay for their land, 
which is much dearer than in the United States, and, having the 
thick forests to fell, are soon out of funds. Their distance from 
any market, and the impossibility of obtaining remunerating crops 
until the hard labors of the pioneer are performed in the unbroken 
wild wood, operate powerfully against all but the most courageous 
hearts. With lands, however, (which the company has now ob- 
tained,) away from the low district bordering the river, the prospect 
will be brighter. I am nevertheless convinced that the best means 
of colonizing Brazil is not by private speculation in village-lots and 
farming-grounds. 

Herr Palma returned, accompanied by the school-teacher. The 
latter was a dandified-looking gentleman, dressed in the latest 
Parisian fashion, but withal a person not wanting in ability or in 
acquirements; for at his rooms I found chemical apparatus, with 
which he was constantly experimenting, and I also ascertained 
that he was an engineer and an artist of no ordinary merit. He 
offered his services to go with me to the Lutheran clergyman, and 
to be at my disposition generally. To the clergyman I had no 
letters. In a few moments I was at his house, which was most 
scantily furnished: indeed, I have rarely seen in the backwoods of 
the United States a minister surrounded with so little comfort, or 
so few of the necessaries of life. He spoke neither French nor 
Portuguese, and his stock of English exceeded very little my stock 
of German ; so that I had great difficulty in making him compre- 
hend my mission. I attempted to be more explicit through the 
teacher, to whom I spoke in French, which he translated into Ger- 
man. Still he did not seem to comprehend, and I left his house 
feeling somewhat discouraged at my reception, especially when I 
contrasted it with the warm co-operation which I had received 
from the Lutheran clergyman at Petropolis. 

In the mean time a rumor ran through the village that a 



336 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



stranger with Bibles had arrived, and when I returned to the little 
inn I had as much as I could do to attend to the visitors. Among 
them was an accomplished and refined lady, the daughter b of an 
LL.D. of Hamburg, and wife of the head-director of Prince de 
Joinville's colony, which must not be confounded with the Ham- 
burg colony in Joinville. My German Bibles and Portuguese 
Testaments were soon exhausted, but I had some still left at San 
Francisco, for which they paid me the money, and I sent them the 
next day after my return. 

The clergyman now joined us. He was a little more cordial 
this time. I invited him and the school-teacher to take tea with 
me. During the repast, the latter left us a few moments, and 
then returned; but while he was absent, the clergyman said to me, 
"How did you become acquainted with the teacher? He is a turn- 
coat." I then understood his reserve, and non-comprehension of 
my remarks which I had made in the presence of the pedagogue 
at the parsonage. The teacher was born in Bulgaria, — was a 
Mohammedan : he afterward went to Germany, and finally came 
to Brazil with some Belgian savants whose object was scientific 
exploration. The young man became attached to a Brazilian girl 
twelve years of age, renounced his religion, became a Bomanist, 
and married her. I could still further appreciate the cautious 
movements of the clergyman, when he informed me that he him- 
self was a Bohemian by birth, was educated in Vienna, and was 
the means of turning some seventy Papists to Protestantism, 
and on this account he was expelled from Austria. Although I 
received the kindest of treatment from the schoolmaster, truth 
compels me to say that among the people of the village he has 
the reputation of being Boman Catholic only in theory, for in 
practice he was as much of a Turk as if he resided in the heart of 
the Ottoman Empire. 

The company around me was a mixed one, some being Bomanists, 
others Protestants. In the course of the evening an honest-look- 
ing Bernese Swiss came into the room. I saluted him, and spoke 
of the Bible, but observed that he viewed me with a cautious eye. 
Soon I saw him and the pastor go out together. They returned in 
a few- minutes; and a short time after the Bernese took me aside 
and said, "I am convinced that you have a good object in view. I 



Suspected of being a Jesuit. 337 



was afraid you were a Jesuit/ 7 (he had not forgotten the Sonder- 
bund in his own country;) "but the pastor assures me that you are 
not. I wish to do good. I once hoped to be a missionary, but 
early circumstances prevented, and therefore I must be content to 
work through others: so please accept this small sum of money, 
and all that I wish you to do is to spread the good news of the 
blessed Saviour." After he went away, the pastor handed me 
another small sum, which the same Bernese had given him for me. 
The total was only nine francs; but that sum is equal to one hun- 
dred francs in the United States. I afterward sent him, from San 




A GERMAN EMIGRANT'S CABIN AT DONNA FRANCISCA. 

Francisco do Sul, sufficient Bibles in return for his gift, and hope 

that he will thus be more immediately made the instrument of 

spreading "the good news of the blessed Saviour." 

It was late when my visitors retired. The next morning, at 

22 



338 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



an early hour, mounted upon a wild-looking horse, and dashing 
through mud and mire, I went to breakfast with the director of 
the Hamburgese (the Joinville, not the Prince's) colony. As I 
rode along, I saw on either hand the small cottages of the colonists, 
(distinguished from Brazilian houses by their chimneys,) reared 
amid the overshadowing, broad-leafed banana-trees, in this land of 
no winter. But they have a hard lot, for the forest-land is difficult 
to clear; the soil is not so rich for cereals and other productions 
which they have been accustomed to cultivate, and, above all, the 
people are poor, and, many of them being from the lowest classes 
in Germany, quite a number give themselves up to drink. It was 
on this latter account that the pastor solicited German temperance- 
tracts. 

As I passed one house, in the midst of hundreds of palms and 
other magnificent trees, I heard the sweet sound of a mother 
teaching her little one to lisp its ABC. 

It was a new sight for me to behold the primeval forest of the 
tropics being prostrated under the fell swoop of the woodman's 
axe. On every side, noble palms and rare and gigantic parasites 
were hurled in wild confusion to the ground. Near the house of 
Mr. H., I saw one of these wood-kings lifting his solitary head 
amid his fallen companions. The monarch was crowned and fes- 
tooned with magnificent orchid© and clambering wild vines. His 
own bright-green foliage spoke of life and vigor; but the drij)ping 
dew-drops seemed like falling tears mourning the desolation 
around. But, to make this world a fit habitation for man, 
nature, as well as man, must make her sacrifices : so utility recon- 
ciled me. 

The little long-tailed birds (closely resembling the whidah-birds 
of Africa) that I had often seen pining in cages were here in glorious 
freedom, playing before me, gracefully floating from fern to fern, 
or swinging in fearless glee upon the pendent parasitic vanilla 
which loaded the morning air with its rich perfume. 

The house of Mr. H. was prettily situated, and, in this remote 
-corner of the world, it was as interesting as it was strange to con 
over, in his little parlor, the last London " Illustrated News," 
-La Presse," and the Paris " Illustration." Madame H., from La 
Belle France, demonstrated that others besides American women 



The Village Cemetery. 339 

could enter the backwoods and undergo with contentment the 
hardships and the excitements of a pioneer life. 




When Mr. H. and myself were ready to return to the village, our 
horses were brought to the door; but mine had the bad taste to 
break his halter, and, snorting a loud adieu, away he went, career- 
ing along the road toward Joinville. His free movement, crested 
mane, and distended nostril, made him look for all the world like 
one of the steeds on the Elgin marbles; only he was minus his 
rider. As he disappeared from sight, he flung his heels high in the 
•air, and gave a series of farewell kicks and other antics which were 
enough to provoke laughter from even brooding melancholy. Mr. 
H. kindly furnished me with another horse, and the last that I saw 
of my steed was just as we reached Joinville. He had entered a 
small sugar-plantation, and was enjoying a most delightful repast 
of the tender young cane. 

Before entering the village, we turned aside from the road, 
ascended a forest-crowned hill, upon whose sides was the rural 
cemetery where were buried the colonists of the Hamburg settle- 
ment. It was a sad yet beautiful spot. The morning sun had 
risen high above the forests, yet the dense foliage was still 
sparkling with matinal freshness. Each day and each year tho 
sun will shine upon that remote little cemetery; but those who 
there sleep will never again behold the morning glories of this 



340 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



bright land. The earth was yet fresh, that covered the remains 
of one of the finest men of the colony : a few wreaths immortelles 
had been hung with rustic taste by some kindly hand near the 
humble grave; but no father or mother or gentle sister would 
ever shed the silent tear over the sleeping dead. 

From the same hill we had a fine view of the village. The 
living and the dead are thus brought near each other; but man is 
a forgetful creature, and the lessons of cemeteries and new-made 
graves are as easily forgotten in this retired nook as amid the busy 
hum of the vast city. 

Before leaving the colony, I visited the school, which is sustained 
by the common-school fund of the province, and I found that the 
Bulgarian had not been neglectful of his little charge, which he 
instructed in both German and Portuguese. 

In wandering through Joinville, I called upon a colonist who 
has a brother in JSTew York, and, while in his house, a gentle- 
manly-looking man entered. By his conversation I ascertained 
that he was a physician. So soon as he knew who I was, and in 
what capacity I had visited the colony, he took me warmly by the 
hand, and I learned that he was one of those physicians who care 
for the souls as well as for the bodies of their patients. My inter- 
course with him was very pleasant ; for, in addition to his piety, 
I found him a gentleman of cultivated mind, having been educated 
at the University of Halle ; and that which particularly interested 
me was that he had, apart from his professional studies, attended 
the lectures of Tholuck. 

He, as well as the Lutheran clergyman, highly approved of the 
proposition of another German pastor in the Empire, which is to 
have an ordained missionary colporteur to go from colony to 
colony throughout Brazil, with Bibles and tracts, encouraging 
such communities as have pastors ; by the printed Word and reli- 
gious works rallying those who are without a clergyman; and 
performing the rites of marriage where, for want of a minister, 
this — so essential to the purity of a community — has been to a 
great extent neglected. 

There are German colonies scattered here and there throughout 
the whole length of the Brazilian sea-coast, and there is, from the 
nature of the case, a loud call upon the evangelical Germans of our 



Orchidaceous Plants. 



341 



land to care for the spiritual welfare of their countrymen in Brazil. 
I believe that such a work, carried on by a few of the Lutheran 
churches of the United States, would redound in great good. They 
could thus direct the operations of the man who should be called 
to this labor better than a large benevolent society that has fifty 
other lands in view. Such an enterprise is of the most imperious 
necessity, not only for keeping alive evangelical piety, but the 
knowledge of Protestant Christianity. 

On returning to the hotel, I found that a large basket of orchi- 
daceous plants of the rarest species had been prepared according 
to my order, which I sent as a present to a kind friend at Eio de 
Janeiro. The lot, with the basket, cost but three dollars : in England 
they would have brought a 
fabulous price, considering the 
rage that now exists among 
royal and noble horticul- 
turalists for these curious 
subjects of Flora's kingdom. 
They can be easily trans- 
ported over the ocean, if care 
be taken that all contact with 
salt water be avoided. I found 
that there was a naturalist 
not far from Eio who often 
sent orchidse to England. 
Brazil is exceedingly rich in 
parasites and air-plants; but 
none among the vast variety 
is more graceful than the 
vanilla, which is found in 
greater or less abundance 
from the northern limit of 
the Empire to the province 
of St. Catharine's. Its little 
star-like flower, its pretty leaf, 
and its delicious fragrance, 
make it an object of beauty and of admiration. I, however, could 
never understand why the vanilla-bean should be imported into 




THE VANILLA. 



342 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Bio from Mexico and Central America via Xew York, when the 
plant itself abounded in Brazil. 

I left the colony with sincere regret that I could not remain 
longer and see more of the people ; but, according to the announce- 
ment, the steamer which was to take me back to Santos was to 
arrive the next morning. So I bade farewell to my newly-made 
friends, and, after several hours' hard rowing in the cramped-up, 
narrow canoe, arrived at San Francisco do Sul. 

The steam-packet was not in the harbor on the appointed day, 
and I passed the time very agreeably with Mr.Y. and a number 
of Germans, one of whom was a young physician educated at 
Breslau, but was about to retire in disgust from the colony and 
from Brazil. He was certainly more adapted to a formed than to 
a forming society. He alleged, as his principal reason, that Brazil 
was a great field for charlatanism; that pretenders and quacks 
could always succeed better than the regular scientifically edu- 
cated. He instanced the case of a barber of the Schleswig-Holstein 
army, who emigrated to the new province of Parana and is now 
the physician in highest repute in that region. I was further 
informed that this ci-devant knight of the razor had recently ap- 
peared in the theatre at Paranagua with a decoration bespangling 
his breast, pretending that it was conferred in Europe for his dis- 
tinguished surgical services ! My Breslau friend was evidently a 
cultivated man, and well read in his profession, but home-sickness 
was doubtless the disease that made him look at every thing with 
distorted vision j for I doubt if there can be found on the Western 
Continent a country where the Government and the medical 
faculty are more strict than in Brazil. There are successful 
charlatans under the very eyes of the medical schools in Paris, 
and it is not therefore strange that examples occur in a vast, 
thinly-populated country. 

Often, leaving my companions, I would stray alone into the 
foliaged walks which are found on every side, and there I could 
be as retired as if a thousand miles from the haunts of man. 
A favorite place was the ruins of an old convent on the summit 
of a vine-clad hill, near which were the new foundations of 
an hospital erected as an expiatory offering by some rich 
lady of San Francisco : she having died, her pious work, I 



The Burial of the Innocent. 



343 



fear, will soon be in the same condition as that of the 
Jesuits. 

In one of my rambles I paid a visit to the jail, the only occu- 
pant of which was a German who, in a fit of anger, had struck 
the director of the Hamburg colony. Now, it is perfectly allow- 
able in Brazil to call a man very hard names and cheat him as 
much as you please with impunity; but to strike a man is beyond 
all bounds of decency, and the jail or some other punishment is 
sure to follow. The prisoner seemed very happy under the cir- 
cumstances, having a finer room than that which I occupied at 
Herr Sneider's, and perfect freedom to go where he pleased at 
certain hours of the day. 

From the jail I entered the large church, situated near the 
centre of the village. The floor was so constructed of wood that 
it could be lifted up in sections, which was always done when 
interments took place. Here for nearly two centuries people had 
been buried who died with the fond hope of being brought nearer 
to heaven by having their bodies within these precincts made by 
man's hands. An old negro was digging a grave, and each time 
his heavy hoe (the spade is rarely used) went down, it ruthlessly 
crunched and smashed through skulls and ribs and whatever else 
is fragile in our poor human frame. The fragments were pitched 
up as common clay. 

I was disturbed in my meditations of this scene by the fat, jolly, 
round padre, who, with a giggling face, gave orders, in a loud and 
any thing but solemn voice, to an assistant who was bearing a coffin 
to the centre of the church. It was a small coffin, yet it was large 
enough. It was uncovered, and in it lay, in the slumber of death, a 
little girl of twelve months. A sweet smile was upon her features; 
her tiny hands were clasped together, and her eyes were open and 
beaming with such a lovely expression that they seemed to be 
gazing into heaven. The tinsel and the ornaments with which 
the body was bedecked I scarcely saw. Three women, clad in deep 
mourning, and with mantillas of richest broadcloth trailing from 
their heads to the ground, swept noiselessly through the church, 
giving one lingering look at the innocent dead. The priest ap- 
proached and saluted me. I had seen him upon my arrival, and 
made bold to make a few inquiries in regard to the child. He in- 



344 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



formed me that he was just preparing to say mass for it : I, however, 
took up the words of our Saviour, and said, " Of such is the king- 
dom of heaven/' and that the little one redeemed by the Saviour 
was already an angel in the realms of light, and that there was no 
need of saying mass for such, even waiving the question of right to 
say mass for any one. He replied with an e verdade, senhor, but, 
notwithstanding, went on to his work, — because he made by it 
money, — because the church is corrupt, and man seeks out new 
inventions rather than follow the plain precepts of truth. 

After speaking with him against intermural burials, I espied a 
pulpit, and asked him if he preached: he answered, " Sometimes, 
especially at the festas." To all my remarks on preaching the 
righteousness of Christ only, he bowed, grinned, uttered many 
e verdades and muito obrigados, (it is very true; I am much obliged 
to you;) and I left, profoundly convinced that a moral earthquake 
will be necessary to shake off the indifference of the Brazilian 
priesthood before their minds will be directed aright. 

The steamer entered the bay, and I turned my face northward. 

The province of St. Catharine, in which the colony of Donna 
Francisca is situated, is the smallest in the southern part of the 
Empire. In fertility and salubrity it is second to none. Its re- 
sources, however, have been developed only fifty or sixty miles from 
the coast : beyond this, the aborigines still abound, and farther in 
the interior they are warlike, and cherish a deadly hatred to the 
white man. Yet I would not convey, through this statement, the 
impression that the province is a howling wilderness; for the towns 
on the sea-coast, the villages, and the flourishing small plantations, 
more remote from the littoral, and the numerous colonies founded 
by the Imperial and provincial governments, by private companies 
and by single individuals, on the belt of land stretching from the 
Bio San Francisco do Sul to the Mampituba, all speak of a certain 
amount of civilization and progress. The population is estimated 
at ninety thousand. 

The capital of the province is often called Santa Catharina, though 
its proper and full name is JVossa Senhora do Desterro, which may 
be translated either " Our Lady of the Desert " or of " Banishment." 
It is situated upon the island which gives the name to the province, 
and its harbor, though small, is compared with that of Rio de 



Santa Catharina. 



345 



Janeiro for excellence and beauty. Desterro is the seat of a 
considerable trade; yet the planters are not engaged in grand 
agricultural operations, as in the provinces farther north. The 
coffee exported thence enjoys a high reputation, and is of a 
superior quality. 



life 




f 



f The island of Santa 
1 Catharina is mountain- 
ous and finely wooded, 
and the scenery with 
which the city of Des- 
terro is surrounded has been the 
admiration of every traveller who 
has been privileged to visit this 
picturesque region. A friend who 
resided many years ago in the 
islands of the Pacific, on visiting 
St. Catharine's wrote home his im- 
pressions, stating that the general 
aspect of all around him was so 
like the South Seas that he felt as if he were suddenly trans- 
ported thither and were again amid the scenes of bygone years. 
He added, "The palm-tree tossing its plumed branches in the 
wind, the broad leaves of the banana rustling in the breeze, the 



346 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



perfume of the orange-blossoms and Cape jessamine, the sugar- 
cane, the coffee-plant and cotton-bush, the palma Christi and guava, 
the light canoe upon the water, and the rude huts dotting the 
shore, — all hurried me in imagination to the Marquesas, the Society, 
and the Sandwich Islands." 

There is a commerce here in artificial flowers made from 
beetles' wings, fish-scales, sea-shells, and feathers, which attract 
the attention of every visitor. These are made by the mulheres 
(women) of almost every class, and thus they obtain not only 
pin-money, but some amass wealth in the traffic. The wreaths, 
necklaces, and bracelets made from the scales of a large fish are 
not only curious, but are exceedingly beautiful. Their effect at 
night is that of the most brilliant set of pearls, and they are as 
much superior in splendor to the small specimens of fish-scale 
flowers manufactured in Ireland, and exposed in the Sydenham 
Palace, London, as the diamond surpasses the glisten of cut- 
glass. 

Not only tropic fruits and flowers are here to be found in profu- 
sion, but the choicest horticultural productions of Europe can be 
cultivated to perfection; and such is the salubrity of the air, that 
Desterro is often visited by invalids from the more northern pro- 
vinces, and even from more distant countries. 

The natural history of Santa Catharina is peculiarly interesting. 
Among the shells abounding on the coast there is a species of Murex, 
from the animal of which a beautiful crimson color may be ex- 
tracted. It is, however, the department of entomology which has 
excited the most lively admiration of the naturalists who have 
visited the province. The butterflies are the most splendid in the 
world. Langsdorff says they are not like the tame and puny 
lepidopters of Europe, which can be caught by means of a small 
piece of silk. On the contrary, they rise high in the air, with a 
brisk and rapid flight. Sometimes they light and repose on flowers 
at the tops of trees, and rarely risk themselves within reach of the 
hand. They appear to be constantly on their guard, and, if caught 
at all, it must be when on the wing, by means of a net at the ex- 
tremity of a long rod of cane. Some species are observed to live 
in society, hundreds and thousands of them being sometimes found 
together. These generally prefer the lower districts and the banks 



COAL-MlNES AND BlO GRANDE DO SUL. 347 

of streams. When one of them is caught and fastened by a pin on 
the surface of the sand, swarms of the same species will gather 
round him, and may be caught at pleasure. 

It has been rumored for many years that mines of coal exist 
within the bounds of the province; but, notwithstanding some 
examinations by order of Government, no satisfactory discoveries 
have yet been made. Doctor Parigot, who was employed to make 
surveys in the province in 1841, reported the existence of a car- 
boniferous stratum, from twenty to thirty miles in width and about 
three hundred in length, running from north to south through the 
province. The best vein of coal he opened he pronounced half 
bituminous, and situated between thick strata of the hydrous oxide 
of iron and bituminous schist; but hitherto there has been no very 
encouraging result from these explorations. In the neighboring 
province of Eio Grande do Sul, coal of a better kind, though some- 
what argillaceous, has been found in the mountains at a place 
called Herval, not far from S. Leopoldo. It is hoped, however, that 
a further descent into the mines will bring to light a better quality, 
— a great desideratum, as the coal for the consumption of all the 
steamers and steam-manufactories in Brazil is imported from 
England. 

The province of Sao Pedro do Rio Grande do Sul (more com- 
monly known as simply Rio Grande do Sul) constitutes the extreme 
southern portion of the Empire of Brazil. It is so called from the 
first parochial Church of St. Peter, (S. Pedro,) and the river 
called Grande, (see on the map Barra do Eio Grande,) near whose 
margins it was erected. In many of the official papers of the Em- 
pire, this province occurs as S. Pedro, to distinguish it from Eio 
Grande do Norte. In the salubrity of its climate and the fertility 
of its soil it resembles the Eepublic of Uruguay, upon which it 
borders. It is admirably adapted for European immigration, and 
the most successful of all the colonies established by the Imperial 
Government is that of S. Leopoldo, founded in 1825, which to-day 
numbers a busy and prosperous population of more than eleven 
thousand souls. 

All the cereals and fruits of Central Europe can be cultivated in 
this province, and formerly immense quantities of wheat were 
grown, so that not only was there suflScient for home-supply, but 



348 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



for exportation. This branch of agriculture has now so dwindled 
that flour is, to some extent, imported from the United States. 

The great wealth of Eio Grande do Sul consists of that which 
constituted the riches of the patriarchs, — flocks and herds. The 
Guachos of Buenos Ayres are not more expert on horseback or 
more skilful in the use of the lasso than are the Bio Grandenses, 
whose occupation from childhood is the care and culture of the 
herds of cattle which roam the vast campinas or prairies. It has 
been estimated that in the province of Bio Grande do Sul, not 
mentioning parts of Santa Catharina and S. Paulo which are 
devoted to the same purposes, five hundred thousand cattle are 
slaughtered annually for the sake of preserving their hides and 
flesh, while as many more are driven northward for ordinary con- 
sumption. Most of the came secca, or jerked beef, in common use 
throughout Brazil, is prepared here. After the hide is taken from 
the ox, the flesh is skinned off in a similar manner from the whole 
side, in strips about half an inch in thickness. The meat, in this 
form, is stretched in the sun to dry. But very little salt is used in 
its preservation, and, when sufficiently cured, it is shipped to all 
the maritime provinces, and is the only kind of preserved beef 
used in the country. Stacks of this meat (emitting no very agree- 
able odor) lie piled up, like cords of wood, in the provision-houses 
of Bio de Janeiro. 

In the financial year 1853-54, Bio Grande do Sul exported the 
value of near $3,000,000 in hides, horns, hair, and wool, $1,000,000 
of which were imported into the United States. 

The character of the people is somewhat peculiar, owing to their 
circumstances and mode of life. They are generally tall, of an 
active and energetic appearance, with handsome features, and of a 
lighter skin than prevails among the inhabitants of the northern 
portions of the Empire. Both sexes are accustomed, from child- 
hood, to ride on horseback, and consequently acquire great skill in 
the management of those noble animals upon which they take their 
amusements as well as perform their journeys and pursue the wild 
cattle of their plains. 

The use of the lasso is learned among the earliest sports of boy- 
hood, and is continued until an almost inconceivable dexterity is 
acquired. Little children, armed with their lasso or bolas, make 



Lassoing Wild Cattle. 



349 



war upon the chickens, ducks, and geese of the farmyard, until 
their ambition and strength lead them into a wider field. 

For the pursuit of wild cattle the horses are admirably trained, 
so that, when the lasso is thrown, they know precisely what to do. 
Sometimes, in the case of a furious animal, the rider checks the 
horse and dismounts, while the bull is running out the length of 
his raw-hide rope. The horse wheels round and braces himself to 
sustain the shock which the momentum of the captured animal 
must inevitably give. The bull, not expecting to be brought up so 




THE LASSO. 



suddenly, is thrown sprawling to the ground. Eising to his feet, 
he rushes upon the horse to gore him; but the latter keeps at a 
distance, until the bull, finding that nothing is to be accomplished 
in this way, again attempts to flee, when the rope a second time 
brings him to the ground. Thus the poor animal is worried, until 
he is wholly within the power of his captors. 

Nor is it only in Eio Grande do Sul or San Paulo that scenes of 
this kind may be observed. They were formerly witnessed in Eio 
de Janeiro itself. At the Matadoura publico, situated on the Pray a 
d'Ajuda, before the municipal butcheries were removed to the spa- 
cious abattoirs at San Christovao, vast numbers of cattle were daily 
slaughtered. Among the droves that reached the capital from the 



350 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



distant sertoes was occasionally an ox so wild and powerful that 
he was not disposed to surrender life without a desperate struggle. 
He would break from his enclosure and dash into the streets of the 
city, threatening destruction to whoever opposed his course. A 
horse, accoutred with saddle and bridle, and with a lasso fastened 
to him by a strong girth, stood ready for the emergency, and was 
mounted in an instant to give pursuit. The chase was widely dif- 
ferent in its circumstances from that which occurs in the open 
camjpos; but perhaps no interest was lost in the rapid turning of 
corners of streets, the heavy clatter of hoofs upon the pavement, 
and the hasty accumulation of spectators. In a short time, usually, 
the noose of the lasso whirled around the horns of the fugitive, 
an area was cleared, and the scene already described was enacted, 
until the runaway ox was killed on the spot or led away in triumph 
to the slaughter. The lasso is, moreover, in frequent use in the 
Campo de Santa Anna, in the same city, where vast herds of mules 




are frequently congregated for sale. The purchaser has only to 
indicate which animal out of the untamed multitude he would like 
to examine, and the tropeiro soon has him " slippernoosed" at the 
end of his long rope, by which he holds or leads him at will. 

This portion of Brazil was inhabited at the period of the settle- 
ment by two peculiar tribes of savages. On the eastern part of 



Tranquillity Secured by the Fall of Rosas. 351 



Bio Grande do Sul and in St. Catharine's were the Carijos, who were 
said to be the most humane of all the aborigines, and were the 
most accessible to European manners and cultivation. North of 
the province under consideration were the Guaycurus, — Indian ca- 
valry, — so called because the Portuguese found them ready to give 
battle on horseback. Where they obtained these horses is an un- 
explained mystery, but doubtless they were procured either 
through the Spaniards on the Pacific coast, or from some of the 
earliest settlements on the La Plata. I have in my possession an 
old picture of Guaycurus charging regulars, and their position 
reminds one of that resorted to by the wild Camanches of New 
Mexico. 

Rio Grande do Sul is in population and commerce the fifth or 
sixth province in the Empire. Until the rapid augmentation of 
exports from Para, she occupied with certainty the fifth place. 

For a series of years Rio Grande was in open rebellion against 
the Imperial Government, to which fact allusion has already been 
made. The effect of this struggle was the proclamation of free- 
dom to the slaves by both parties, so that the number of those 
in bondage was greatly diminished. The proximity of this pro- 
vince to the Spanish-American Governments doubtless did much, 
before the Empire of Brazil was fully established in strength, to 
incline it to republican notions, and it was thought at one time 
that Rio Grande would sever itself from the Empire, and, like the 
Banda Oriental, or Uruguay, (once a province of Brazil,) become 
an independent State. But, between generous concessions and 
vigorous measures, Rio Grande was brought back to allegiance, 
and to day none of her sister-provinces excel her in loyalty to the 
existing regime. Brazil, however, has taken effectual means and 
preventives that her southern border be no longer disturbed. The 
tyrant Rosas* was overthrown through the aid of the Brazilian 



* Allusion having been made to the part which Brazil took in the overthrow of 
the Nero-Borgia of the New World, the following note from Mr. Hadfield's work 
will give an outline of the history of affairs in the Argentine Confederation :— 

" In January, 1831, the provinces of Buenos Ayres, Entre Rios, Corrientes, and 
Santa Fe, entered into a federal compact, to which all the other provinces at 
subsequent periods became parties. The union was a voluntary alliance. No 
general Constitution was promulgated, and the adhesion of the several members 



352 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



army and navy, and Uruguay is now in effect under her protection, 
and is bound to keep the peace. When Paraguay can be ap- 
proached on some reasonable diplomatic basis, — when Brazil shall 
have thrown off all the restriction which now hampers the COm- 



was left to be secured by the resources of the person -who might obtain the direc- 
tion of affairs. This Argentine Confederation, like the Republic which it had suc- 
ceeded, soon fell into a state of anarchy ; and it was not till the election of General 
Rosas as governor or captain-general, "with almost absolute power, in 1836, that 
even temporary quiet was secured. By this arrangement the provincial Govern- 
ment of Buenos Ayres was invested with extraordinary powers, and temporarily 
charged with the transaction of all matters appertaining to the common interests 
of the confederation, and the carrying out of its business with foreign nations. 
Rosas had previously served as governor and captain-general of Buenos Ayres for 
the usual term of three years, and had obtained unrivalled influence in that pro- 
vince, chiefly through his military powers as displayed against the Indians, His 
decision and energy secured for a while internal peace, and the provinces began to 
recover from the effects of the long-prevalent anarchy. But cruelty and despotism 
marked his sway at home, and his ambition, which continually prompted him to 
endeavors to extend his power over the whole country watered by the Plata and the 
Parana, led him into disputes with foreign powers; and these ultimately brought 
about his downfall. His commercial policy had for its object to secure for Buenos 
Ayres the monopoly of the trade of the Plata, his political policy to obtain a like 
territorial superiority. 

"On the death of Francia, Dictator of Paraguay, Rosas refused to acknowledge 
the independence of that power, insisting that it should join the Argentine Con- 
federation. At the same time he refused to allow the navigation of the Parana by 
vessels bound to Paraguay. Lopez, the new Dictator of Paraguay, therefore entered 
into alliance with the Banda Oriental, now called Uruguay, with which Rosas was 
at war. These powers applied for assistance to Brazil. The war was prolonged 
until the whole country on both sides of the Plata and the Parana was in a state 
of confusion. On the earnest appeal of the merchants and others interested, Great 
Britain volunteered her mediation, but it was rejected by Rosas, who marched his 
troops within a few miles of Montevideo, which his fleet at the same time block- 
aded. The Emperor of Brazil now interfered, and sent a special mission to request 
the interposition of the courts of London and Paris. The British and French 
Governments, in February, 1845, decided on sending plenipotentiaries to the Plata 
to offer their mediation, and to announce their intention to enforce a cessation of 
hostilities, if needful, by an armed intervention. The offer was rejected by Rosas, 
but readily accepted by his opponents. The united fleet of England and France at 
once commenced operations by seizing the fleet of Rosas which was blockading 
Montevideo, and the island of Martin Garcia, which commands the entrances of 
the Parana and the Uruguay. The harbor of Buenos Ayres was at the same time 
declared under blockade, and the- combined fleet prepared to open the Parana and 
to convoy as far as Corrientes any merchant-vessels that might desire to ascend 
that river. Rosas on his part made hasty preparations to intercept the fleet by 
planting batteries with parks of heavy artillery at Point Obligado, and placing 
three strong chains across the river, supported by twenty-four vessels and ten fire- 
ships. On the 19th of November, 1845, the combined fleet, consisting of eight 



Hope of Future Development. 



353 



merce of the mighty affluents of the La Plata that are within 
her borders, — a development and a prosperity will accrue to 
the southern portion of the Empire which will be productive of 
great results for Brazil and that part of America south of the 
tropic of Capricorn. 



sailing and three steam vessels, forced the passage with trifling loss to itself, but 
entirely destroying the batteries and considerably injuring the army of Rosas. On 
the return of the fleet, with a convoy of one hundred and ten vessels, it was en- 
countered at San Lorenzo by a very powerful battery, which Rosas had erected in 
an admirable position, in the full expectation of destroying a large number of the 
merchant-vessels and of crippling the naval force. The battery commanded the 
river, and was difficult of attack by the steamers ; but it was speedily silenced by a 
rocket-brigade which had been the previous night secretly landed on a small island 
in the river. The combined fleet escaped with trifling loss ; the rocket-brigade lost 
not a man ; but four of the merchant-vessels, which, through unskilful pilotage, ran 
ashore, were burned to prevent them falling into the hands of Rosas. The loss to 
the Argentine army was very great. Again plenipotentiaries were sent out by the 
combined powers, but Rosas refused to yield; and England withdrew from the 
blockade in July, 1848. It was, however, continued by France until January, 1849. 
On the final withdrawal of the two great powers in 1850, Brazil determined on 
active interference. The power of the Dictator, General Rosas, essentially despotic, 
and devoted to the maintenance of the supremacy of Buenos Ayres, had moreover 
become intolerable to the provinces, which desired a federal and equal union- 
Accordingly, toward the close of 1850, Brazil, Uruguay, and Paraguay entered 
into a treaty, to which Corrientes and Entre Rios, as represented by General 
Urquiza, became parties, by which they bound themselves to continue hostilities 
until they had effected the deposition of Rosas, 'whose power and tyranny' they 
declared to be 'incompatible with the peace and happiness of this part of the world.' 
Early in the spring of 1851, a Brazilian fleet blockaded Buenos Ayres, and soon 
after an Argentine force commanded by Urquiza crossed the Uruguay. The 
struggle was now virtually terminated. General Oribe, who commanded the army 
of Rosas at Montevideo, made a show of resistance, but it was merely to gain 
time in order to complete his arrangements with Urquiza, and he soon after capitu- 
lated. His soldiers for the most part joined the army of Urquiza, who — at the head 
of a force amounting, it is said, to seventy thousand men — crossed into Buenos A} r res. 
A general engagement took place on the plains of Moron, February 2, 1852, when 
the army of Rosas was entirely defeated. Rosas, who had commanded in person, 
succeeded in escaping from the field ; and, in the dress of a peasant, he reached 
in safety the house of the British minister at Buenos Ayres. From thence, with 
his daughter, he proceeded on board H.B.M. steamer Locust, and on the 10th of 
February sailed in the Conflict steamer for England." 



23 



CHAPTEK XIX. 



JOURNEY TO SAN PAULO — NIGHT-TRAVELLING — SERRA DO CUBATAO — THE HEAVEN 
OF THE MOON — FRADE VASCONCELLOS — ANT-HILLS — TROPEIROS — CURIOUS 
ITEMS OF TRADE — YPIRANGA — CITY OF SAN PAULO — LAW-STUDENTS AND CON- 
VENTS — MR. MAWE'S EXPERIENCE CONTRASTED — DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY — 
RESPECT FOR S. PAULO — THE VISIONARY HOTEL-KEEPER. 

On my return from the province of Santa Catharina I again 
touched at Paranagua, and, with the usual slowness which charac- 
terized Brazilian coast-travelling a few years ago, I came leisurely 
to Santos, and thence proceeded to the city of San Paulo. A young 
Brazilian had the intention of accompanying me to the capital of 
the province; but when I informed him that it was my determina- 
tion to start for the interior the day of my arrival at Santos, he at 
first laughed at me, considering it an impossibility, and intimated 
that I would gladly accept the proffered hospitality of friends. 
When he found me unmoved in my resolution, he dropped his 
smiles, and looked at me with that pity which is bestowed upon the 
hopelessly insane. 

At half-past five o'clock in the evening I set out alone. I have 
often heard exclamations of surprise, from those who have never 
been in Brazil, at the very idea of journeying without a com- 
panion in a land which their imaginations have pictured as the 
abode of brigands and wild beasts. Though I have compassed 
many leagues solus, I have never met with the former, and the 
latter have been quite harmless. My horse, in size, in his trap- 
pings, and in general appearance, was befitting a Calmuck Tartar. 
He had never made the acquaintance of a curry-comb, but got over 
the fine road which leads to Cubitao with a speed worthy of a bet- 
ter-looking animal. It was dark before I reached the bridge which 
spans the Eio do Cubitao; and, not feeling exactly sure of a hospe- 
daria, I rode up to a little way-side venda, and my inquiries were 

answered very satisfactorily in French. The same man I saw upon 
354 



A Zigzag Road. 



355 



my return, and learned from him that he came to Brazil twenty 
years ago under the impression that gold was as plentiful as paving- 
stones. He directed me to an inn kept by a German beyond the 
bridge. Having given my name at the Begistro, and having paid a 
slight toll, I clattered over, and was soon at the house of the Ger- 
man. I felt half inclined to push onward over the mountains, so as 
to make San Paulo before mid-day of the morrow. I however con- 
cluded to refresh myself and horse, and gave orders for supper. 
The refreshment, so far as sleep was concerned, was a minus quan- 
tity, and at an early hour I was astride my steed and on my way 
up the Serra. The road which traverses this range of mountains 
is probably the finest in Brazil, with the exception of the Imperial 
highway to Petropolis. When Dr. Kidder visited this portion of 
the Empire, there existed a very excellent road, made at great ex- 
pense; yet, owing to its steepness, it was perfectly impassable for 
carriages. His description of that route is as follows : — 

" It embraces about four miles of solid pavement and upward of 
one hundred and eighty angles in its zigzag course. The accom- 
plishment of this great work of internal improvement was esteemed 
worthy of commemoration as a distinguished event in the colonial 
history of Portugal. This appears from a discovery made on my 
return. Halting on the peak of the Serra, my attention was drawn 
to four wrought stones, apparently imported. They corresponded 
in size and form to the mile-stones of the United States, and had 
fallen prostrate. One lay with its face downward, so embedded in 
the earth as to be — to me at least — immovable. From the others, 
having removed with the point of my hammer the moss and rubbish 
by which the tracery of the letters was obscured, I deciphered as 
follows : — 

"MARIA I. REGINA, 

NESTE ANNO, 1790. 

OMNIA YINCIT AMOK SYBDITORYM. 

FES SE ESTE CAMINHO NO FELIS GOYER- 
NO DO ILL E EX BERNARDO JOSE DE 
LORENO, GENERAL DESTA 
CAPITANIA. 



356 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



" A solid pavement up this mountain-pass was rendered essential 
from the liability of the road to injury by the continued tread of 
animals, and also from torrents of water which are frequently pre- 
cipitated down and across it in heavy rains. Notwithstanding the 
original excellence of the work, maintained as it had been by 
frequent repairs, we were obliged to encounter some gullies and 
slides of earth, which would have been thought of fearful magni- 
tude had they not been rendered insignificant in comparison with 
the heights above and the deep ravines which ever and anon 
yawned beneath precipitous embankments. At these points a few 
false steps of the passing animal would have plunged both him and 
his rider beyond the hope of rescue. Our ascent was rendered 
more exciting by meeting successive troops of mules. There would 
first be heard the harsh voice of the tropeiros urging along their 
beasts, and sounding so directly above as to seem issuing from 
the very clouds : presently the clattering of hoofs would be dis- 
tinguished, and at length would be seen the anjmals, erectis 
auribus, as they came borne almost irresistibly down by their 
heavy burdens. It was necessary to seek some halting-place 
while the several divisions of the troop passed by, and soon their 
resounding tread and the echoing voice of the guides would be 
lost in the thickets beneath." 

The above description of the road was strictly true fifteen years 
ago; but now, by judicious engineering, the grades are not nearly 
so steep, and at a vast expense the whole is finely macadamized. 
Still, the ascent is too precipitous for heavily-laden carriages. But 
this will soon be remedied. English engineers are surveying a 
route into the interior which may extend as far as the province 
of Goyaz ; and it is the fond hope of the Yergueiros that the time 
is not distant when the coffee of Campinas, Limeira, and Itu will 
be brought upon wheels to Santos. In the engraving the pre- 
sent comparatively greatly-winding highway is in strong contrast 
with the almost perpendicular road made by the early Jesuits 
before the one of which Dr. Kidder speaks. The Jesuits' Boad 
is the dark line seeming to divide the conical mountain into 
equal parts. 

As I pushed up with my sorry-looking steed, the Serra became 
enveloped in mist, so that I could scarcely see a rod before me; but 



"The Heaven of the Moon." 



357 



upon my return the mountains were not only bathed in glorious 
sunlight, but the plains beneath and the distant ocean seemed 
brought near, as by magic. There was a wildness and sublimity 
in the landscape which I have not seen surpassed in the vicinity of 
Eio de Janeiro. From the summit of the mountain the dark and 
rugged gorges were not even clothed with the abundant foliage 
which is found everywhere else. Streams burst forth from some 
of the loftiest peaks, and thundered down into the deep ravines 
beneath. 




The Jesuit Yasconcellos made the ascent of this Serra two hun- 
dred years ago, and his description of the scenery is sketched with 
a masterly hand; but his estimate of the altitude was certainly 
extraordinary : — 

"The greater part of the way you have not to travel, but to get 
on with hands and feet, and by the roots of trees; and this among 
such crags and precipices, that I confess my flesh trembled when I 
looked down. The depth of the valleys is tremendous, and the 
number of mountains, one above another, seems to leave no hope 
of reaching the end. When you fancy you are at the summit of 
one, you find yourself at the bottom of another of no less magni- 
tude. True it is, that the labor of ascent is recompensed from time 



358 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



to time; for when I seated myself upon one of these rocks, and 
east niy eyes below, it seemed as though I was looking down from 
the heaven of the moon, and that the whole globe of earth lay 
beneath my feet. A sight of rare beauty for the diversity of 
prospect, of sea and land, plains, forests, and mountain-tracks, all 
various, and beyond measure delightful. This ascent, broken with 
shelves of level, continues till you reach the plains of Piratininga, 
in the second region of the air, where it is so thin that it seems as 
if those who newly arrive could never breathe their fill." 
Dr. Kidder thus criticizes Tasconcellos : — 

"The last sentence is as erroneous as the preceding are graphic 
and beautiful. I should not, however, deem it necessary to correct 
the statement, had not Southey. upon its authority, represented 
this ascent to continue eight leagues to the very site of S. Paulo, 
which is upon the plains of Piratininga. The truth is. that from 
the summit of the Serra, before stated to be three thousand feet 
above the sea, the distance to S. Paulo is about thirty miles, over a 
country diversified with undulations, of which the prevailing 
declination, as shown by the course of streams, is inland. Xever- 
theless, so slight is the variation from a general level, that the 
highest point within the city of S. Paulo is estimated to be pre- 
cisely the same altitude with the summit mentioned. "What incon- 
venience would be experienced from rarefaction of the atmosphere 
at such an elevation may be easily determined." 

It however appears to me that the estimated altitude of the 
Serra, made by the good frade Tasconcellos. was a just one accord- 
ing to his standard ; for, even considering that he did not have the 
asthma, to go up a steep mountain, ("the heaven of the moon" 
in elevation,) not by travelling, "but to get on with hands and 
feet, and by the roots of trees, and this among such crags and 
precipices," was assuredly sufficient to make one pant and feel 
as if he were "in the second region of the air" and "could never 
breathe his fill." I once encountered a tall, lank California:! on 
the Isthmus of Panama. It was at the end of a hot and sultry 
day: the pedestrian gold-digger had set his face toward the Pa- 
cific, while I was seeking the port of Aspinwall. I accosted him, 
and inquired the distance to Obispo, (at that time the terminus of 
the Panama Eailway.) "Stranger," said he, "they call it five 



Mules and Muleteers. 



359 



miles; but I can assure you that it is about five hundred, for I never 
have been so tired in all my life." He estimated distance as Frade 
Vasconcellos estimated the altitude of the Serra de Cubatao. 

Having once attained the summit of the mountain, I galloped 
over the upland plains, feeling more uncomfortable from the cold 
than ever before in Brazil. At ten o'clock I reached the hotel of 
M. Lefevre, a Frenchman from Boussillon, at whose well-provided 
table my chilliness was soon removed. 

The plains between this and San Paulo, where there was no cul- 
tivation, were dotted by termite-ant-hills of such a size and form 
as to remind one of the pictures of a Hottentot village. In some 
places the industrious little creatures had literally ploughed up 
the ground for many yards around. The earth composing the 
outer shell of these insect-habitations becomes so indurated by 
the action of the sun that they retain their original erect position 
and oval form for scores of years. 

The country over which I passed, save that the earth has a 
marked ferruginous appearance, resembles what are called the 
" oak-openings" of the western parts of the United States. In 
the vicinity of the village of San Bernardo there are considerable 
plantations of coffee and Chinese tea. 

I was constantly meeting with troops of mules laden with coffee, 
on their way to Santos, or passing others returning from the sea- 
board to the interior. It may be here remarked, that ordinary 
transportation to and from the coast is accomplished with no incon- 
siderable regularity and system, notwithstanding the manner. 
Many planters keep a sufficient number of beasts to convey their 
entire produce to market; others do not, but depend more or less 
upon professional carriers. Among these, each troop is under 
charge of a conductor, who superintends its movements and 
transacts its business. They generally load down with sugar and 
other agricultural products, conveying, in return, salt, flour, and 
every variety of imported merchandise. I was informed that two 
hundred thousand mules annually arrived with their burdens at 
Santos. A gentleman who had for many years employed these con- 
ductors in the transmission of goods stated that he had seldom or 
never known an article fail to reach its destination. 

The Paulista tropeiros, as a class, differ very much from the 



360 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Mineiros and conductors that visit Eio de Janeiro. They have a 
certain wildness in their look, which, mingled with intelligence 
and sometimes benignity, gives to their countenance altogether a 
peculiar expression. They universally wear a large pointed knife, 
twisted into their girdle behind. This faca de ponta is perhaps 
more essential to them than the knife of the sailor is to him. It 
serves to cut wood, to mend harnesses, to kill and dress an animal, 
to carve food, and, in case of necessity, to defend or to assault. 
Its blade has a curve peculiar to itself, and, in order to be approved, 
must have a temper that will enable it to be struck through a thick 
piece of copper without bending or breaking. This, being a favorite 
conrpanion, is often mounted with a silver handle, and sometimes 
encased in a silver sheath, although it is generally worn naked. 
Many foreigners (among them Englishmen) have purchased these 
knives to take home as curiosities, not knowing that they were 
manufactured in Great Britain or in the northeastern part of 
France. Lady Emeline Stewart Wortley, in her interesting gossip- 
ing letters from the New World, states that she procured in Pern, 
as a great curiosity, a poncho of the country, so that she might 
show to her friends in England the peculiar costume and the manu- 
factures of the people who are descended from Castilian adven- 
turers and the subjects of Atahualpa. Before leaving South 
America, some kind friend engaged in commerce, not wishing Lady 
Emeline to be duped, broke her pleasant delusion by informing her 
that the poncho in question was from the looms of Scotland. It 
might also be mentioned that many of the beautiful water- vases 
seen by foreigners at Bio de Janeiro are manufactured at the pot- 
teries in Staffordshire, and are sent out in large quantities to South 
America. The mysteries of the supply of distant countries with 
the productions considered as peculiar to those lands would form 
a curious book, far more interesting than the " blue-books" of Old 
England, or the annual " Commerce and Navigation" issued from 
the United States financial department.* 



* Paper manufactured in New England bears the stamp "Bath Post" and " Paris." 
Large establishments near New York import labels and wrapping-paper from France, 
to put in and around hats which go over the Union as made on the banks of the 
Seine. Staffordshire not only makes water-vases supposed in South America to 



Entrance to Sax Paulo. 



361 



Before the sun had set, I saw in the distance the city of San 
Paulo. Its elevated position on a small table-land that springs up 
from the plain, and its many towers and steeples and old conventual 
buildings, give it an appearance far more imposing than a town of 
greater population. Before ascending the hill, I passed the pavi- 
lion erected on the margin of the Ypiranga to commemorate the 
declaration of Brazilian independence which was emphatically 
made by Dom Pedro L when (September 7, 1822) in this place he 
exclaimed " Tndependencia ou Morte I" Such a spot should be hal- 
lowed in the thought of every Brazilian, as well as memorable 
throughout the world; and it is therefore not much to the credit 
of Brazil or to the province of San Paulo, fertile in patriots, that a 
more fitting monument, of " enduring brass or marble/' has not 
hitherto been erected commemorative of an event of such vast 
national interest. 

Eventide was setting in as I splashed through the Tiete, the first 
of the Ea Platan affluents that I had crossed; and I soon ascended 
to the city. When I entered the first street, I felt more convinced 
than ever that I was south of the tropic of Capricorn; for, though 
verdure unchanging can be seen everywhere, yet in the nights of 
June (which answers to December in the northern hemisphere) 
there is experienced a chilliness which renders overcoats comfort- 
able. Aline had been left behind by accident, and not only my 
feelings told me of its absence, but, beholding several law-students 
well cloaked, I was forcibly reminded of my carelessness and my 
consequent suffering. I fell into conversation with the young 
"limbs of the law," and found them exceedingly affable and com- 
municative, as they kindly guided me to the hotel of Senhor C. 
Observing a large convent near at hand, I remarked that a new 
country like Brazil had little need of a body of monks and friars. 
I was somewhat surprised at the earnest and ready reply of one, 
who, apparently uttering the sentiments of the party, said, "2so, 
Senhor, we need none of them : they are a lazy set ; and we 
approve of what the King of Sardinia has recently done in regard 



have been manufactured on the spot, but drives a good trade with statues of the 
Virgin, supposed to be the production of Italy and France, where they adorn so 
many houses of the peasantry. 



862 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



to convents." Brazil has few monks in her splendid conventual 
buildings, and those few, with the exception of the Italian Capu- 
chins, are indolent, luxurious, and licentious. The many edifices 
already secularized are used for state arsenals, provincial palaces, 
libraries, hospitals, &c. 

I could not but contrast my introduction to S. Paulo with the 
entrance of Mr. Mawe, who nearly half a century ago made the 
acquaintance of the same city. In my case I rode into town and 
went to the hotel in the same manner as I would have done in 
Boston, Liverpool, or Geneva. But Mr. Mawe's experience with 
Brazil was immediately succeeding the opening of the country by 
royal decree in 1808. In his very readable. "Travels" he says, 
"Our appearance at S.Paulo excited considerable curiosity among 
all descriptions of people, who seemed by their manner never to 
have seen an Englishman before. The very children testified their 
astonishment, — some by running away, others by counting our fin- 
gers and exclaiming that we had the same number as they. Many 
of the good citizens invited us to their houses, and sent for their 
friends to come and look on us. As the dwelling we occupied was 
very large, we were frequently entertained by crowds of young 
persons of both sexes who came to see us eat and drink. It was 
gratifying to us to perceive that this general wonder subsided into 
a more social feeling: we met with civil treatment everywhere, and 
found great pleasure in a more refined and polished company than 
we had seen in the Spanish settlements." 

Though San Paulo is still distinguished for its "refined and 
polished" society, it is hard at this day to conceive of the curiosity 
at seeing strangers which must have been one of the direct con- 
sequences of Portugal's Japanese policy toward the colony of Brazil. 

S. Paulo is situated between two small streams upon an elevation 
of ground, the surface of which is very uneven. Its streets are 
narrow, and not laid out with regard to system or general regu- 
larity. They have narrow side-walks, and are paved with a ferru- 
ginous conglomerate closely resembling old red sandstone, but dif- 
fering from that formation by containing larger fragments of 
quartz, — thus approaching breccia. 

Some of the buildings are constructed of this stone; but the 
material more generally used in the construction of houses is the 



Taipa Houses. 



363 



common soil, which, being slightly moistened, can be laid up into 
a solid wall. The method is to dig down several feet, as would be 
done for the foundation of a stone house, then to commence filling 
in with the moistened earth, which is beaten as hard as possible. 
As the wall rises above ground, a frame of boards or planks is made 
to keep it in the proper dimensions, which curbing is moved up- 
ward as fast as may be necessary, until the whole is completed. 
These walls are generally very thick, especially in large buildings. 
They are capable of receiving a handsome finish within and with- 
out, and are usually covered by projecting roofs, which preserve 
them from the effect of rains. Although this is a reasonable pre- 
caution, yet such walls have been known to stand more than a 
hundred years without the least protection. Under the influence 
of the sun they become indurated, and are like one massive brick, 
impervious to water, while the absence of frost promotes their 
stability. 

From San Paulo I wrote to one of my friends at Eio a letter, 
from which I take the following extracts : — 

" June 26, 1855. 

"I am in a cold room, — such cold as I have not before ex- 
perienced in Brazil. The moon is shining coldly; men creep 
about in cloaks, (I wish I had one,) and the only thing that 
possesses caloric is the candle which throws its dim light upon this 
paper. I ought, however, to except the stirring strain of a distant 
bugle, that really fills the night-air with a warming melody. 

" Here I am stopped, because people do nothing d'appressado 
(in a hurry) in Brazil. I put my two boxes ashore at Santos on 
the 14th, and they were not sent forward until the 23d; and 
to-day I passed the rancho where the troop encamped last night. 
This evening they have reached a point two miles beyond San 
Paulo, — at which rate they will attain their destination — Limeira 
— about the 14th of July, the day on which I hope to sail from 
Eio for the northern provinces. But if possible I shall hire extra 
mules, overtake my boxes, transfer them to my animals, and push 
on so as to reach the colony of Yergueiro (more than one hundred 
miles from here) by Saturday night. 

"Tell Senhor Fernando Eoche that his friend, Senhor Seraphim, 
has been most useful and kind to me, running over the whole town 



364 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



to procure for me the requisite animals. Do you think that an 
American or an English merchant would have done as much, late 
at night, for a stranger three hours after his arrival ? 

"I fear you will find me quite complaining, and place me in the 
category of those travellers who, like Smollett, were always scold- 
ing and grumbling about the inconveniences of the country in 
which they were 'voyaging.' I assure you that I take things as 
much like a philosopher as possible, — eating all kinds of food in 
all sorts of places, and sleeping where I would have scruples about 
making a daylight examination. Fancy, I slept, or at least at- 
tempted it, last night in a dirty German kospedaria, with a wild 
paiTot overhead and my Calmuck horse haltered just the other side 
of a thin partition : so, between the music of one biting his chain, 
and the other crunching his milho, (Indian corn,) I got a very small 
share of 'nature's sweet restorer.' 

"Yesterday I left Santos, although I was informed that it was 
impossible to start for the interior the same day that I arrived ; 
yet my kind friends, the Yergueiros, enabled me to keep my word 
which I gave on board the steamer, to the effect that night should 
see me on my way. To-day I rode thirty-two miles, which you 
know, as Paulistas travel, is a good day's journey. As I drew near 
to San Paulo and gazed upon the green prairies dotted by herds, 
the white houses surrounded by trees, and in the background the 
distant mountains, I seemed to behold, as in years gone by, the 
like scenes of Burgundy, Piedmont, and Northumberland. 

" I felt a more profound respect for San Paulo than for any South 
American city that I have yet visited. It was larger than I anti- 
cipated, and its houses, with their overhanging eaves, give it an 
appearance not unlike that of Yevay, on the Lake of Geneva. 
These eaves, I should say, extend over the streets five or six feet, 
protecting the passers-by from the rain and sun, and giving a Swiss 
picturesqueness to the whole. 

"My feelings of respect, however, arose not from the size of the 
city, nor from its picturesqueness, but because there is a more in- 
tellectual and a less commercial air about the people than you see 
elsewhere in Brazil. You do not hear the word dinheiro constantly 
ringing in your ear, as at Eio de Janeiro. There are no less than 
five hundred law-students in the legal college here established, and 



The Law-Students. 



365 



their appearance really recalls the Dane law-school of Harvard 
University and the students of Heidelberg. The genus student is 
the same the world over, — full of pranks, fun, and mischief. The 
week of my arrival, several scores of these fellows had ' kicked up 
a row' (as one of them elegantly expressed it) at the theatre, so 
that the President of the province ordered a strong police-force to 
be present at the next representation, and it was not without dif- 
ficulty that order was preserved. 

"In entering the city, I fell in with a number of these young 
legalists, who conducted me to the hotel where many of their 
classmates were whiling away their time at billiards; and, judging 
from the sound of rolling balls and • lucky hits' at this late hour, 
one would suppose they will have little opportunity for preparing 
their morning lesson. The hotel-keeper is a young Brazilian, 

educated at -'a, in iSTova Fribourgo, and speaks very good English. 

He has too many projects, however, to succeed. His last plan is 
to establish a sort of Surrey Zoological Gardens, for concerts, exhi- 
bitions, and recreation generally, at Eio de Janeiro. His chosen 
spot for this purpose is on the Praia Yermelha, not far from the 
Sugar-Loaf. Speaking of gardens, I am reminded of plantations, 
and will only say that to-day I saw immense plantations of what I 
had first supposed to be coffee, but which proved to be genuine 
Chinese 1 green tea/ 

"But now to bed: if rolling billiard-balls will let me sleep, I will 
be refreshed for the journey of to-morrow. 

"P.S. Wednesday morning. — I have a horse, a conductor, and 
two mules, and shall be off in a few moments. You will next hear 
from me at Limeira." 



CHAPTEE XX. 



HISTOKY OF SAN PAULO — TERRESTRIAL PARADISE — REVERSES OP THE JESUITS — 
ENSLAVEMENT OF THE INDIANS — HISTORICAL DATA — THE ACADEMY OF LAWS — 
COURSE OF STUDY — DISTINGUISHED MEN — THE ANDRADAS — JOSE" BONIFACIO — 
ANTONIO CARLOS — ALVARE S MACHADO — VERGUEIRO — BISHOP MOURA — A VISIT 
TO FEIJO — PROPOSITION TO ABOLISH CELIBACY — AN INTERESTING BOOK — THE 
DEATH OF ANTONIO CARLOS DE ANDRADA — HIGH EULOGIUM — MISSIONARY 
EFFORTS IN SAN PAULO — EARLY AND PRESENT CONDITION OF THE PROVINCE — 
HOSPITALITIES OF A PADRE — ENCOURAGEMENTS — THE PEOPLE — PROPOSITION TO 
THE PROVINCIAL ASSEMBLY — RESPONSE — RESULT — ADDENDA — PRESENT ENCOU- 
RAGEMENTS. 

The history of San Paulo takes us back to an early period in the 
settlement of the New World by Europeans. It has already been 
remarked that, in 1531, Martin Affonso de Souza founded S. Vicente, 
the first town in the captaincy, which for a long time bore the 
same appellation. There had previously been shipwrecked on the 
coast an individual by the name of Joao Eamalho, who had ac- 
quired the language of the native tribes and secured influence 
among them by marrying a daughter of one of their principal 
caciques. Through his interposition, peace was secured with the 
savages and the interests of the colony were fostered. By degrees 
the settlement extended itself inland, and in 1553 some of the 
Jesuits who accompanied Thome de Souza, the first captain-general, 
found their way to the region styled the plains of Piratininga, and 
selected the elevated locality on which the city now stands, as the 
site of a village, in which they commenced to gather together and 
instruct the Indians. 

Having erected a small mud cottage on the spot where their 
college was subsequently built, they proceeded to consecrate it by 
a mass, recited on the 25th of January, 1554. That, being the day 
on which the conversion of St. Paul is celebrated by the Eoman 

Church, gave the name of the apostle to the town, and subsequently 

366 



A Terrestrial Paradise. 



367 



to the province. St. Paul is still considered the patron saint of 
both. A confidential letter, written by one of these Jesuits to his 
brethren in Portugal, in addition to many interesting particulars 
on other subjects, contains the following passage, which may serve 
to show how the country appeared to those who saw it nearly three 
hundred years ago. This letter exists in a manuscript book taken 
from the Jesuits at the time of their expulsion from Brazil, and 
still preserved in the National Library at Eio de Janeiro. Its date 
is 1560. JSTo part of it is known to have been hitherto rendered 
into English previous to the translation made by Kev. Dr. Kidder. 

" For Christ's sake, dearest brethren, I beseech you to get rid of 
the bad idea you have hitherto entertained of Brazil : to sj)eak the 
truth, if there were a paradise on earth, I would say it now existed 
here. And if I think so, I am unable to conceive who will not. 
Eespecting spiritual matters and the service of God, they are 
prospering, as I have before told you; and as to temporal affairs, 
there is nothing to be desired. Melancholy cannot be found here, 
unless you dig deeper for it than were the foundations of the palace 
of S. Eoque. There is not a more healthy place in the world, nor 
a more pleasant country, abounding as it does in all kinds of fruit 
and food, so as to leave me no desire for those of Europe. If in 
Portugal you have fowls, so do we in abundance, and very cheap; 
if you have mutton, we here have wild animals, whose flesh is 
decidedly superior; if you have wine there, I aver that I find my- 
self better off with such water as we have here than with the 
wines of Portugal. Do you have bread, so do I sometimes, and 
always what is better, since there is no doubt but that the flour of 
this country (mandioca) is more healthy than your bread. As to 
fruits, we have a great variety; and, having these, I say let any 
one eat those of the old country who likes them. What is more, 
in addition to yielding all the year, vegetable productions are so 
easily cultivated (it being hardly necessary to plant them) that 
nobody can be so poor as to be in want. As to recreations, yours 
are in no way to be compared with what we have here. 

"Now, I am desirous that some of you should come out and put 
these matters to the test; since I do not hesitate to give my opinion, 
that, if any one wishes to live in a terrestrial paradise, he should 
not stop short of Brazil. Let him that doubts my word come and 



368 - Brazil and the Brazilians. 

see. Some will say, What sort of a life can that man lead who 
sleeps in a hammock swung up in the air ? Let me tell them, they 
have no idea what a fine arrangement this is. I had a bed with 
mattresses, but, my physician advising me to sleep in a hammock, I 
found the latter so much preferable, that I never have been able to 
take the least satisfaction, or rest a single night, upon a bed since. 
Others may have their opinions, but these are mine, founded upon 
experience." 

The Jesuits, unhappily, did not find this paradise to be perennial. 
Their benevolence, and their philanthropic devotedness to the In- 
dians, brought down upon them the hatred of their countrymen, 
the Portuguese, and of the Mamalucos, as the half-breeds were 
denominated. These two classes commenced at an early day the 
enslavement of the aboriginals, and they continued it through suc- 
cessive generations, with a ferocious and bloodthirsty perseverance 
that has seldom found parallel. As the Jesuits steadfastly opposed 
their cruelties, the Portuguese resorted to every means of annoy- 
ance against them. They ridiculed the savages for any compliance 
with the religious formalities in which they were so diligently in- 
structed, — encouraging them to continue in their heathen vices, and 
even in the abominations of cannibalism. Nevertheless, these mis- 
sionaries did not labor without considerable success. The Govern- 
ment was on their side, but was unable to protect them from the 
persecutions of their brethren, who, although calling themselves 
Christians, were as insensible to the fear of God as they were 
regardless of the rights of men. From the pursuit of their ima- 
gined interest, nothing could deter them but positive force. As the 
Indians were driven back into the wilds of the interior, through 
fear of the slave-hunters, the Jesuits sought them out, and carried 
to them the opportunities of Christian worship and instruction. It 
was thus that a commencement was made to the celebrated Reduc- 
tions of Paraguay, which occupy so wide a space in the early 
history of South America. Sometimes the Paulistas would dis- 
guise themselves in the garb of the Jesuits, in order to decoy the 
natives whom they wished to capture. At other times they as- 
saulted the Reductions, or villages of neophytes, boasting that the 
priests were very serviceable in thus gathering together their 
prey. 



Historical Data. 



369 



Voluntary expeditions of these slave-hunters, styled bandeiras, 
spent months, and sometimes years, in the most cruel and deso- 
lating wars against the native tribes. Instigated by the lust of 
human plunder, some penetrated into what is now the interior of 
Bolivia on the west ; while others reached the very Amazon on the 
north. As the Indians became thinned off by these remorseless 
aggressions, another enterprise presented itself as a stimulant to 
their avarice. It was that of hunting for gold. Success in the 
latter enterprise created new motives for the prosecution of the 
former. Slaves must be had to work the mines. Thus, the exter- 
mination of the native tribes of Brazil progressed, for scores of 
years, with fearful rapidity. One result of these expeditions was 
an enlargement of the territories of Portugal and an extension 
of settlements. By the growth of these settlements four large 
provinces were populated. They have since been set off from that 
of S.Paulo, in the following order: — Minas-Geraes, in 1720; Rio 
Grande do Sul, in 1738 ; Goyaz and Matto Grosso, in 1748. 

During the period when Portugal and her colonies were under 
the dominion of Spain, a considerable number of Spanish families 
became inhabitants of the captaincy of S. Paulo; and when, in 
1640, that dominion came to an end, a numerous party disposed 
itself to resist the Government of Portugal. They proceeded to 
proclaim one Amador Bueno, king; but this individual had the 
sagacity and patriotism peremptorily to decline the dignity his 
friends were anxious to confer upon him. The Paulistas have 
been subsequently second to none in their loyalty to the legitimate 
Government of the country ; unless, indeed, the unhappy disturb- 
ances that occurred among them in the years 1841-42 be con- 
sidered as forming an exception to this remark. It is now one 
of the most prosperous provinces of the Empire. 

My colleague remained many days in the provincial capital, and 
gives the following account of its institutions and great men : — 

"The Academy of Laws, or, as it is frequently denominated, the 
University of S. Paulo, ranks first among all the literary institu- 
tions of the Empire. I enjoyed an excellent opportunity for visit- 
ing it, being introduced by the secretary and acting president, Dr. 
Brotero. This gentleman— whose lady is a native of the United 
States — deserves honorable mention, not only for the zeal and 

24 



370 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



ability with which he administers the affairs of the institution 
of which he has since become the president, but also as an author. 
He has published a standard work on the Principles of Natural 
Law, and a treatise upon Maritime Prizes. 

"The edifice of the Curso Juridico was originally constructed as 
a convent by the Franciscan monks, whom the Government com- 
pelled to abandon it for its present more profitable use. Being- 
larger and well built, a few alterations rendered it quite suitable 
to the purposes for which it was required. The lecture and recita- 
tion rooms are on the first floor, the professors' rooms and library 
on the second ; these, together with an ample court-yard, compose 
the whole establishment, save two immense chapels still devoted 
to their original design. In one of these I found several very 
decent paintings, and also an immense staging, upon which work- 
men were engaged finishing the stucco-work upon the principal 
arch of the vaulted roof. Both chapels abounded with mytho- 
logical representations of the patron saint, both in images and 
colors. The library of the institution, containing seven thousand 
volumes, is composed of the collection formerly belonging to the 
Franciscans, a part of which was bequeathed to the convent by the 
Bishop of Madeira j the library of a deceased bishop of S. Paulo ; 
a donation of seven hundred volumes from the first director j and 
some additions ordered by the Government. It was not over- 
stocked with books upon law or belles-lettres, and was quite defi- 
cient in the department of science. The only compensation for 
such deficiencies was a superabundance of unread and unreadable 
tomes on theology. Among all these, however, there was not to 
be found a single copy of the Bible — the fountain of all correct 
theology — in the vernacular language of the country; a rarer 
volume than which, at least in former years, could scarcely have 
been mentioned at S. Paulo. This particular deficiency I had the 
happiness of supplying by the donation of Pereira's Portuguese 
translation, bearing this inscription : — 

"AO BIBLIOTHECA DA ACADEMIA JURIDICA DE S.PAULO 
DA SOCIEDADE BIBLICA AMERICANA 
PELO SEU CORRESPONDENTE 

o t, D. P. Kidder. 

Cidade de S. Paulo, ■» 

15 de Fev'o de 1839. j 



The Academy of Laws. 



371 



"The history and statistics of the institution were kindly com- 
municated to me by the secretary, in a paper, from which the 
following abstract is translated : — ■ 

"The Academy of the Legal and Social Sciences of the city of 
S. Paulo was created by a law dated August 11, 1827. It was for- 
mally opened, by the first professor, Dr. Jose Maria de Avellar 
Brotero, on the 1st da}- of March, 1828, — Lieutenant-General Jose 
Arouche de Toledo Eendon being first director. 

"The statutes by which it is governed were approved by law, 
November 7, 1831. 

"The studies of the preparatory course are — Latin, French, 
English, Ehetoric, Eational and Moral Philosophy, Geometry, His- 
tory, and Geography. 

"The regular course extends through five years. The several 
professorships are thus designated : — 

"First Year. — 1st professorship, Philosophy of Law, Public Law, 
Analysis of the Constitution of the Empire, and Eoman Law. 

"Second Year. — 1st professorship, Continuation of the above sub- 
jects, International Law, and Diplomacy; 2d professorship, Public 
Ecclesiastical Law. 

"Third Year. — 1st professorship, Civil Laws of the Empire; 
2d professorship, Criminal Laws, Theory of the Criminal Process. 

"Fourth Year. — 1st professorship, Continuation of Civil Law ; 
2d professorship, Mercantile and Maritime Law. 

"Fifth Year. — 1st professorship, Political Economy; 2d professor- 
ship, Theory and Practice of General Law, adapted to the Code of 
the Empire. 

"The age of sixteen years and an acquaintance with all the pre- 
paratory studies are requisite in order to enter the regular course. 
Xo student can advance without having passed a satisfactory 
examination on the studies of the preceding year. When the 
examinations of the fifth year are passed acceptably, the Academy 
confers the degree of Bachelor of Arts; and every Bachelor is 
entitled to present theses on which to be examined as a candidate 
for the degree of Bachelor of Laws. 

"In examinations on the course, students are interrogated by 
three professors for the space of twenty minutes each. Com- 
petitors for the Doctorate are required to argue upon their 



372 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



theses with nine professors successively, each discussion lasting 
half an hour. At the end of each examination, the professors, 
by secret ballot, determine the approval or rejection of the 
candidate. 

"In order to explain the peculiarities of the above course of 
study, it should be remarked that, in its arrangement, the Uni- 
versity of Coimbra was followed as a model. The education im- 
parted by it may be formal and exact in its way, but can never be 
popular. The Brazilian people look more to utility than to the 
antiquated forms of a Portuguese university; and I apprehend it 
will be found necessary, ere long, in order to secure students at 
the University of S. Paulo, to condense and modernize the course 
of instruction/' 

In 1855, the prosperity of the Law-Academy was no longer a 
matter of doubt, as at that time there were two hundred and 
ninety-six students in the five classes, and three hundred more in 
the preparatory course, which, by recurring to their list of studies, 
I find (minus the Greek language) to be very similar to the studies 
in most colleges in the United States. Under Senhor Brotero, the 
institution at San Paulo has become exceedingly popular, and, 
doubtless, is far more practical than in the first years of its exist- 
ence. It is here and at the Pernambuco Law-School (which con- 
tains three hundred and twenty students in the regular course) 
that the statesmen of Brazil receive that education which so much 
better fits them for the Imperial Parliament and the various legis- 
lative assemblies of their land than any preparatives that exist in 
the Spanish-American countries. 

"My sojourn at S. Paulo," continues Br. Kidder, "was rendered 
increasingly interesting by repeated interviews with several distin- 
guished citizens of the province. One evening, while walking in 
company with several gentlemen in the extensive gardens of Senhor 
Raphael Tobias d'Aguiar, a popular ex-president of the province 
and one of its largest land-proprietors, the conversation turned 
upon the different foreign travellers in Brazil. Mawe was recol- 
lected by some; but St. Hilaire, the French botanist, enjoyed the 
highest consideration of all, as having accomplished his task in the 
most thorough manner. 

"Senhor Raphael related a very interesting anecdote, communi- 



Distinguished Men. 



373 



cated to him by St. Hilaire. A poor man in England, in reading 
the work of Mr. Mawe, had become so enthusiastic with the idea 
of the vegetable and mineral riches of Brazil, that, in order to get 
to the country, he actually came out in the capacity of a servant. 
After reaching Eio de Janeiro, he had by some means found his 
way up the Serras into the interior, where his industrious exer- 
tions had been rewarded with success, and where the botanist 
found him actually possessed of a fortune. 

" Among the distinguished men of S. Paulo, I will first mention 
the Andradas, — three brothers, whose family residence is Santos. 
These brothers were all educated at the University of Coimbra, in 
Portugal, and received the degrees of Doctors in Jurisprudence and 
Philosophy, and the younger that of Mathematics. 

" Jose Bonifacio, the eldest, after his graduation, travelled several 
years in the northern countries of Europe, — devoting himself mean- 
while to scientific researches, the results of which it was his inten- 
tion to publish in Brazil. On his return to Portugal he was created 
Professor of Metallurgy in Coimbra, and of Medicine in Lisbon. 
While engaged in these professorships, he published several trea- 
tises of much merit, among which was a dissertation on 'The 
Necessity of Planting New Forests in Portugal, and particularly 
of Fir-Trees along the Sandy Coasts of the Sea-Shore.' His valor 
was called out by the invasion of Portugal, when he organized and 
headed a body of students who determined to do what they could 
toward repelling the army of Napoleon. In 1819 he returned to 
Brazil in time to take a leading part in the revolution of inde- 
pendence. 

"Antonio Carlos returned to Brazil soon after having completed 
his education. In the year 1817, while executing the office of 
Ouvidor in Pernambuco, he was arrested as an accomplice of the 
conspirators in a revolt which broke out at that time. He was 
sent to Bahia and thrown into prison, where he remained four 
years. As a proof of his philanthropy as well as of his indomitable 
energy of mind, it must be mentioned that he spent this long 
period almost exclusively in instructing a number of his fellow- 
prisoners in rhetoric, foreign languages, and the elements of 
science. Being at length liberated, he returned to San Paulo, 
where he was shortly afterward elected deputy for that province 



374 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



in the Cortes of Lisbon. He assumed his duties in that body, and 
remained in it until the increasing insults and aggravations which 
were heaped upon the Brazilians, without the hope of redress, 
forced him and several of his colleagues, among whom was Feijo, 
to withdraw and embark secretly for England. Having arrived at 
Falmouth, they published a solemn declaration of the motives 
which induced them to desert the Cortes and to quit Lisbon. 
Thence they returned to their native country. 

" Martin Francisco, the younger brother, had won high dis- 
tinctions as a scholar, and, from early life, was the frequent 
subject of political honor. At the first organization of the 
Imperial Government he was created Minister of Finance, and 
in this capacity did the country important service, — his elder 
brother being at the same time Minister of State and of Foreign 
Affairs. At this period the three brothers were all elected mem- 
bers of the Assembly which convened to prepare a Constitution 
for the Empire. 

"Before the discussions of that body were brought to a close, the 
Emperor was induced, by the coalition of two minor parties, to 
dismiss the Andrada Ministry and to appoint Boyalists as their 
successors. The powerful opposition which the brothers imme- 
diately arrayed against those by whom they had been supplanted 
made the position of the new Ministry and that of the Emperor 
also extremely embarrassing. Attacks produced recrimination, 
until the Emperor at length resolved upon the rash and desperate 
expedient of dissolving the Assembly by force, which he succeeded 
in accomplishing, and then apprehended the three brothers Andrada 
and a few others who were leaders of the opposition. They were 
all, without the least examination or trial, conveyed on board a 
vessel nearly ready for sea, and transported to France. 

" Their time in Europe was not idly spent. Already acquainted 
with ail the more important modern languages, they devoted them- 
selves to literary pursuits and the society of the learned with all 
the enthusiasm of students. 

"In the year 1828, the two younger brothers returned to Bio, 
and, after a short detention in the prison of the Ilha das Cobras, 
received a full pardon from the Emperor. Jose Bonifacio came out 
in 1829 from France. 



Jose Bonifacio — Antonio Carlos de Andrada. 375 

m 

"The French admiral, who had known him in Europe, sent im- 
mediately to offer him every attention; but Andrada requested 
him to make no demonstration, as he was very uncertain how he 
might be received. But as soon as the arrival of the ship was 
known, Calmon, the Minister of Finance, went immediately on 
board to offer his congratulations and every kind civility. On 
Andrada's interview with the Emperor, it is said that the latter 
proposed an embrace, and that all the past should be forgotten. 
Andrada replied, with Eoman firmness, that the embrace he would 
most cheerfully give, but to forget the past was impossible. 

"The Emperor then proposed to him to enter into the Ministry, 
but he declined, assuring His Majesty that he only returned to 
Brazil to live in retirement. Nevertheless, Jose Bonifacio, in his 
old age, was the individual to whom the Emperor, on his abdica- 
tion, confided the guardianship of his children. He had then 
proved the faithlessness of many of those officious partisans who 
had urged him forward in his attempted overthrow of the men 
who were his earliest and most devoted friends. The Emperor 
had learned, by painful experience, how to appreciate real 
patriotism. 

" Antonio Carlos and Martin Francisco had no sooner returned 
to their native province, than they were immediately restored by 
their countrymen to important offices, and have ever since retained 
a prominent position in the national councils. They have, more- 
over, continued the same ardent and fearless advocates of their 
principles that they were in early life. 

"It has been said, and perhaps justly, that 'the Andradas, when 
in power, were arbitrary, and, when out of place, factious; but 
their views were ever great, and their probity unimpeachable.' 
Their disinterestedness was manifest, and is deserving of eulogy. 
Title and wealth were within their reach ; but they retired from 
office undecorated, anti in honorable poverty. In many of their 
acts they were doubtless censurable ; yet, when the critical circum- 
stances of Brazil at the period are taken into consideration, surely 
some apology may be made for their errors. When old age re- 
quired Jose Bonifacio to withdraw from public business, he retired 
to the beautiful island of Paqueta, in the Bay of Eio de Janeiro. 
He died in 1838 ; and, if there is any one fact that more loudly 



376 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



than another upbraids the lack of literary enterprise in Brazil, it 
is that no memoir of so distinguished an individual has made its 
appearance, or, so far as I could learn from his brothers, was ever 
contemplated. 

"Both Antonio Carlos and Martin Francisco are distinguished, 
powerful orators, The latter is clear, expressive, and chaste in 
his diction ; the former is fluent, impetuous, and sometimes extra- 
vagant. Antonio Carlos is particularly fond of the arena of debate, 
and few questions come before the Provincial or National Assembly 
which are not subjected to the searching analysis of his acute mind 
and to the often-dreaded ordeal of his flaming rhetoric. His speeches 
abound in beautiful illustrations from the French, Spanish, Italian, 
and English poets; and, when discussing questions of jurisprudence 
and diplomacy, his references display a critical acquaintance with 
standard English authors upon those subjects. As a random speci- 
men of his style of eloquence, I will translate a paragraph from his 
speech in the General Assembly at Bio de Janeiro, in 1889, on the 
much-debated question whether foreign troops should be hired to 
compose the standing army of the Empire. 

"After having gone through with an elaborate argument, he 
says, 'I am unwilling to weary the house. I have proved that the 
measure is anti-constitutional, that it is injurious to the dignity 
of Brazil, that it is useless, that it is impolitic, and that it will be 
oppressive to the nation. 

"'aSow I must close. It pains me to think that such a measure 
can possibly be approved. Such is the aversion I cherish toward 
it, that I am caused to fear that, if it should pass, some of our 
citizens will wish themselves alienated from the land of their birth; 
alienated, I was about to say, from a degraded nation. But this 
tongue cannot utter such a reproach, nor this heart anticipate 
such an injury, to the Brazilian people. 

" c Every night, when I seek rest upon my humble couch, the 
first act of devotion I render to God is a thanksgiving that I was 
born upon this blessed soil, — in a country in which innocence and 
liberty were natives, but from which they temporarily fled away 
on the approach of those iron fetters of social bondage which 
Cabral, the accidental discoverer, imported in connection with the 
limited civilization of Portugal. 



Antonio Carlos and Alvares Machado. 377 



" 1 Eis, descobreis Cabral os Brazis nao buscados, 
C os salgados vestidos gotejando, 
Pesado beijas as douradas prayas, 
E &s Gentes que te hospedao, ignaras 
Do Vindouro, os grilkoes lancas, 
Miserandos ! Entao a liberdade, 
As azas nao mancbadas de baixa tyrannia 
Soltou isenta pelos ares livres. 

" ' So it was an infamous series of oppressive laws and shameful 
proscriptions was imposed upon our poor ancestors, and would 
have rested upon us to-day, had not the grand achievement of our 
national independence set us free ! Allow me to remark a startling 
coincidence. To-morrow will be the anniversary of that indepen- 
dence, — an event ever to be remembered. To-day an effort is made, 
which, if successful, will throw clouds and gloom over it, and thus 
efface the brightest picture in our history. 

"'How is it that we, who were able to shake off the yoke of 
foreign bondage without the aid of mercenary troops, are supposed 
to be incompetent to crush rebellion within our own borders? 
Shameful reflection ! Is Bento Gonsalves some European adven- 
turer? 2s~o! he is a Brazilian, like us; and least of all can he 
withstand Brazilians. 

"'My heart is overflowing, but my tongue fails to express my 
thoughts. If this measure pass, I shall have nothing left me to 
do but to hide my head, and to weep and sigh, in the language of 
Moore, — 

" 'Alas for my country ! her pride is gone by, 

And that spirit is broken which never -would bend : 
O'er the ruin her children in secret must sigh, — 
For 'tis treason to love her, 'tis death to defend.' 

" An intimate friend and political associate of Antonio Carlos is 
Senhor Alvares Machado, another aged Paulista, also celebrated 
for his prompt and often passionate eloquence. A brief extract 
from one of his speeches in the Chamber of Deputies forcibly 
expresses the provincial pride which the Paulistas cherish to- 
gether with their sentiments of independence. 'How,' said he, 
'can the present administration expect to intimidate as, who never 
succumbed to the founder of the Empire? We spoke the language 



378 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



of liberty, of justice, and of truth, to a king and the descendant of 
kings. 

" ' On one occasion it was proposed to construct our constitution 
after the monarchial model, and to accomplish this intrigues were 
set on foot in all the provinces. What then was our language ? 
"Sire," said we to the monarch, "despotism may be planted in the 
province of S. Paulo, but it will be upon the bones of the last of 
her inhabitants." ' 

"Another prominent member of the provincial legislature of 
S. Paulo was Yergueiro, a Senator of the Empire. This gentle- 
man, a Portuguese by birth, has long been conspicuous in Brazil. 
Previous to the independence of the colony, he was one of the 
deputies to the Cortes of Lisbon, and had there distinguished him- 
self above most of his colleagues for the open and explicit manner 
in which he defended the interests and privileges of the land of his 
adoption. Subsequently, while in the Brazilian Senate, he main- 
tained his reputation as a skilful debater and a sincere friend of 
liberal institutions. During the scenes connected with the abdication 
of the first Emperor, he acted an important part, and, as has 
already been stated, was appointed at the head of the provisional 
Eegency. 

"During one of my visits to the Provincial Assembly of S. Paulo, 
this gentleman made a long and interesting speech on the subject 
of the outbreak and disorders at Villa Franca. 

"The sessions of this legislative body are held in an apartment 
of the old College of the Jesuits, which has long since been appro- 
priated to the uses of the Government. My attendance upon its 
deliberations was not very frequent, although several of my visits 
were quite interesting. Probably no provincial legislature in the 
Empire presented a greater array of learning, of experience, and 
of talent, than did this. At the period of which I am speaking, 
Martin Francisco de Andrada occupied the Presidential chair, while 
Senhores Antonio Carlos, Yergueiro, Alvares Machado, Raphael 
Tobias, the Bishops of S. Paulo, of Cuyaba, and Moura, the Bishop- 
elect of Eio de Janeiro, with various other gentlemen of distinction, 
took part in the proceedings. 

"At the close of one of the sessions, I had the pleasure of meet- 
ing several of these gentlemen in a saloon adjoining the hall of 



A Proposition to Recede from Rome. 



379 



debates, and of hearing from them the warmest expressions of 
American feeling and of a generous interest in the affairs of the 
United States. 

"Antonio Maria de Moura was considered the special representa- 
tive of the ecclesiastical interests in this legislature. This indi- 
vidual had gained a great degree of notoriety during a few years 
previous. He had been nominated by the Imperial Government to 
fill the vacant bishopric of Rio de Janeiro. The Pope of Rome 
was, for some reasons, displeased with the nomination, and accord- 
ingly refused to consecrate him. This circumstance gave occasion 
for long diplomatic negotiations, and for a time threatened to in- 
terrupt friendly relations between Brazil and the Holy See. For 
several years questions relating to this subject were frequently 
and freely discussed before the National Assembly. During these 
debates expressions were often used not the most complimentary to 
His Holiness, and facts of a startling character were brought to 
view. For example, a reverend padre, in speaking on the subject, 
alluded to a canonical objection to this candidate, which, he said, was 
very generally known, — viz.: the illegitimacy of his birth: 'that, 
however, was a trifling matter, it having been dispensed with in 
the case of two of the actual bishops of the Empire. But this 
gentleman had signed a report declaring against the forced celibacy 
of the clergy, and, when interrogated by His Holiness on the 
subject, had refused to give explanations/* 

" The longer this subject was discussed, the wider the difference 
seemed to grow. The Pope was unwilling to recede from his 
position, and the Brazilians resolved not to brook dictation from 
the Pope. 

"The proposition to make the Brazilian church independent of 
His Holiness was more than once started, and it was finding 
increased favor with the people. But the question was regarded 
solely in its political bearings. Consequently, it becamo an object 
for the Government to settle it in the easiest way practicable. On 
the accession of a new ministry, measures were adopted to satisfy 
Moura and to induce him to step out of the way. Accordingly, 



* See Jornal do Commercio, June 30, 1839. 



380 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

he was at length persuaded to waive his claim, and to resign an 
office which he could not be permitted to fill peaceably. The ques- 
tion was then easily disposed of. The Government made another 
nomination, which the Pope approved, — at the same time compli- 
menting the rejected candidate with the title and dignities of 
bishop in partibus infidelium. At the time I met him, Padre Moura 
did not appear to be over thirty-five years of age. His demeanor 
was affable and his conversation interesting. He was understood 
to be the confidential adviser and assistant of the old Bishop of S. 
Paulo. He had been for a series of years engaged in political 
life, and will probably continue in similar engagements, since they 
will be in no wise inconsistent with the obligations of his office of 
bishop in partibus. 

" I had the honor of more than one interview with the ex-Begent 
Feijo. The first was in company with an intimate friend of hi?, in 
the lower room of a large house, where he was staying as a guest, 
in the city of S. Paulo. There were no ceremonies. His reverence 
appeared to have been lying down in an adjoining alcove, and had 
hastily risen. His dress was not clerical. In fact, his garments 
were composed of light striped cotton, and appeared by no means 
new; while his beard was apparently quite too long for comfort in 
so warm a day. He was short and corpulent, about sixty years of 
age, but of a robust and healthful appearance. His countenance 
and cranium bore an intellectual stamp and conveyed a benevolent 
expression, although there might have been something peculiar in 
the look of his eyes, which gave rise to a remark made to me before 
I saw him, that he had 'the physiognomy of a cat/ His conver- 
sation was free and very interesting. My friend mentioned to 
him that I had made several inquiries respecting the customs of the 
clergy and the state of education and religion in the country. He 
proceeded to comment upon these several topics, and expressed no 
little dissatisfaction with the actual state of things, particularly 
among the clergy. He said ' there was scarcely a priest in the 
whole province that did his duty as the Church prescribed it, and 
especially with reference to catechizing children on the Lord's 
day/ 

"He was on the eve of a journey to Itu and Campinas, and, being 
asked when he would set out, replied, Dizem no Domingo, Q Sunday 



Proposition to Abolish Clerical Celibacy. 381 



is talked of ;') thus indicating that even he himself had not too high 
a respect for the institution of the Sabbath-day. On another oc- 
casion I called on him at his own house in Rio de Janeiro, while 
he was in attendance on the Senate, of which he was a member, 
and for a long time president. It was in the morning, and I found 
him alone in his parlor, occupied with his breviary; while at the 
same time there lay on the table by which he was sitting afaca de 
ponta, or pointed knife, of the species already described, enclosed 
in a silver sheath. I presented him with copies of some tracts that 
we had just published in the Portuguese language for circulation in 
the country. He received them courteously, and again entered 
into conversation respecting various plans for the religious amelio- 
ration of Brazil. He, however, seemed to have little faith, and less 
spirit, for making further exertions, having been repeatedly baffled 
in his cherished projects for improvement. So little encourage- 
ment, indeed, had he met with from his brethren the clergy, that 
he was inclined to compare some of them to the dog in the manger, 
since they would neither do good themselves, nor allow others to 
do it. 

"Feijo is a remarkable man. Like many others among the Bra- 
zilian clergy, he entered upon a political career in early life, and 
laid aside the practical duties of the priesthood. His abandon- 
ment of the Cortes of Portugal, to which he had been elected in 
the reign of Dora John VI., has already been mentioned. 

" After the establishment of the independent Government of 
Brazil, he became a prominent member of the House of Deputies. 
During a debate in that body he listened to what seems at first to 
have struck him as a very strange proposition, — viz.: 'that the 
clergy of Brazil were not bound by the law of celibacy.' Coming, 
however, as the statement did, from a gentleman of great learning 
and probity, it secured his candid attention. Subsequent reflection, 
while meditating upon the means of reforming the clergy, and 
examining the annals of Christianity, convinced him not only that 
the proposition was correct, but also that the most fruitful source 
of all the evils that affected this important class of men was a 
forced celibacy. Whereupon, as a member of the Committee on 
Ecclesiastical Affairs, he offered to the House his views on the sub- 
ject in the form of a minority report. 



382 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



"In this report he proposed, 'that since celibacy was neither en- 
joined upon the clergy by divine law nor apostolical institutions, 
but, on the contrary, was the source of immorality among them; 
therefore, the Assembly should revoke the laws that constrained 
it, and notify the Pope of Rome of the necessity of revoking the 
ecclesiastical penalties against clerical matrimony; and, in case 
these were not revoked within a given time, that they should be 
nullified/ 

"As a matter of course, such a report, coming from an ecclesias- 
tic of high standing, excited a great deal of attention. To the 
surprise of many, it was received with great favor by both priests 
and people. This circumstance, together with his own convictions 
of duty, prompted the author to develop his opinions at length 
and in a systematical treatise. Thus originated his celebrated work 
on Clerical Celibacy. From the remarks of a competent critic on 
that work, we select the following : — 'It is really a novelty in the 
literary world. We can, in truth, say no less than this : — that the 
book contains unquestionably the best argument ever advanced, in 
any Papal or Protestant country, against the constrained celibacy 
of priests and nuns. It sets forth all that a Protestant can say, and 
what a Eoman Catholic priest, in spite of every early prejudice, is 
constrained to say, against a cruel and unnatural law, enacted 
against the immovable law of the almighty Creator/ 

" The author is master in ancient as well as in modern Catholic 
lore, — in canon law, and in the writings of the fathers; and we 
should be no less amazed than instructed by seeing any one of his 
brother-prelates in America or in Europe come out with any thing 
like a rational answer to 'Feijo's Demonstration op the Neces- 
sity or Abolishing Clerical Celibacy/ 

"Notwithstanding the violent attacks made upon him in con- 
nection with this startling attempt at innovation, yet he was sub- 
sequently elevated to the highest offices in the gift of the nation. 
He was, successively, appointed Minister of State, Regent of the 
Empire, and Senator for life. 

" He was, moreover, elected by the Imperial Government as 
Bishop of Mariana, a diocese which included the rich and important 
province of Minas-Geraes. He, however, did not see fit to accept 
this dignity, but, on resigning his Regency, returned to his planta- 



The Death of Distinguished Men. 



383 



tion, a few miles from the city of S. Paulo, where he resided during 
my visit to that part of Brazil. 

"After that period his health declined, and a pension of four 
thousand milreis per annum was conceded to him, in consideration 
of his distinguished services in the past. In 1843 he died." 

Since the above was written by my co-laborer in this work, many 
of the leading men whom he met at San Paulo have gone to their 
rest. Antonio Carlos, Martin Francisco de Andrada, and Alvares 
Machado, are no more. The constitutional Empire which, w T ith 
self-sacrificing toil, they aided in erecting, and for which they suf- 
fered in the crucible of political persecution, exists on a firm foun- 
dation, and their labors are not forgotten, though as yet no lofty 
monument rears its form to tell of their true patriotism. 

Antonio Carlos de Andrada expired on the 5th of December, 
1845, and from the Necrologia in the Annuario do Brazil for 1846 I 
extract the following testimonial to his talent, worth, and states- 
manship. It may be remarked that, if every foreigner who investi- 
gates the character of the deceased finds so much to command 
his admiration, we should pardon the high strain of eulogium pro- 
nounced by his countrymen upon one who, for so many years, nobly 
filled the first places in the gift of the monarch and the people. 

" The Assembled Geral of 1844 being dissolved, Antonio Carlos de 
Andrada was, in 1845, newly elected Deputy for his native province 
of San Paulo. But he had scarcely been informed of his election 
by the Paulistas, when he heard that he had been chosen Senator 
for Pernambuco, after having also received the popular votes of the 
provinces of Para, Minas, Ceara, and Eio de Janeiro. He took his 
seat thus late in life in the Senate-chamber, — a tardy recompense 
for his great merit. 

"In literature, in Parliament, and in the whole Empire, his death 
left a great void, which will long be felt by all his compatriots. 

"With no other ambition save that of serving his country, — the 
sole glory desired by his generous heart, — he neither desired nor 
sought for honors. , 

"The Councillor Carlos Antonio de Andrada was of medium 
height and of a robust constitution: every feature of his face ex- 
pressed genius, feeling, and energy of mind. Of easy and graceful 
manners, mild and jovial in familiar conversation, he rendered 



384 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



himself agreeable to every one who approached him. Severe for 
himself, he was indulgent to others, and ready to pardon an offence 
or an injustice done to him. He was a devoted friend, and a gene- 
rous adversary to his competitors in public life: he never employed 
his power to injure others, but always to protect the weak. An 
excellent father, a loving husband, the best of brothers, — there was 
not a single domestic virtue which was not found in Antonio 
Carlos!" 

What matters it if to such a man no monumental stone be 
erected? — 

" The fame is lost which it imparts : 
Who for his dust a tear would claim 
Must write his name on living hearts." 

The conclusion of the eulogy to the deceased statesman is the 
highest encomium that could be pronounced upon a public man in a 
government where, too often, those in power have not scrupled to 
enrich themselves at the expense of the State. 

There is the noblest and most eloquent praise in the simple fact 
and statement, — viz. : "Such was the Councillor Antonio Carlos 
de Andrada: he lived and died poor!" 

The following details of the missionary efforts of my colleague 
and predecessor will be found, I doubt not, deeply interesting : — 

"Although two hundred years had elapsed since the discovery 
and first settlement of the province of San Paulo, it is not known 
that a Protestant minister of the gospel had ever visited it before. 
Although colonized with the ostensible purpose of converting the 
natives, and subsequently inhabited by scores of monks and priests, 
there is no probability that ever before a person had entered its 
domains, carrying copies of the word of life in the vernacular 
tongue, with the express intent of putting them in the hands of the 
people. 

"It is necessary to remind the reader, that, throughout the entire 
continent to which reference is now made, public assemblies for the 
purpose of addresses and instruction are wholly unknown. The 
people often assemble at mass and at religious festivals, and nearly 
as often at the theatre; but in neither place do they hear principles 
discussed or truth developed. The sermons in the former case are 
seldom much more than eulogiums on the virtues of a saint, with 



Hospitalities of a Padre. 



385 



exhortations to follow his or her example. Indeed, the whole sys- 
tem of means by which, in Protestant countries, access is had to 
the public mind, is unpractised and unknown. The stranger, there- 
fore, and especially the supposed heretic, who would labor for the 
promotion of true religion, must expect to avail himself of provi- 
dential openings rather than to rely on previously-concerted plans. 
The missionary, in such circumstances, learns a lesson of great 
practical importance to himself, — to wit, that he should be grateful 
for any occasion, however small, of attempting to do good in the 
name of his Master. The romantic notions which some entertain 
of a mission-field may become chastened and humbled by contact 
with the cold reality of facts; but the Christian heart will not be 
rendered harder, nor genuine faith less susceptible of an entire 
reliance on God. 

"The unexpected friendship and aid of mine aged host at San 
Bernardo, already mentioned, was not a circumstance to be lightly 
esteemed. Scarcely less expected was the provision made for me, 
at the city of S. Paulo, of letters of introduction to gentlemen of 
the first respectability in the various places of the interior which I 
wished to visit. At one of those places, the individual to whom I 
was thus addressed, and by whom I was entertained, was a Roman 
Catholic priest; and it affords me unfeigned satisfaction to say, 
that the hospitality which I received under his roof was just what 
the stranger in a strange land would desire. 

"When on reaching the town where he lived I first called at his 
house, the padre had been absent about two weeks, but was then 
hourly expected to return. His nephew, a young gentleman in 
charge of the premises, insisted on my remaining, and directed my 
guide to a pasture for his mules. In a country where riding upon 
the saddle is almost the only way of travelling, it has become an 
act of politeness to invite the traveller, on his first arrival, to rest 
upon a bed or a sofa. This kindness, having been accepted in the 
present instance, was in due time followed by a warm bath, and 
afterward by an excellent but a solitary dinner. Before my repast 
was ended, a party of horsemen passed by the window, among 
whom was the padre for whom I was waiting. After reading the 
letter which I brought, he entered the room and bade me a cordial 
welcome. He had arrived in company with the ex-Regeut Feijo, 

25 



386 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



with whom I had previously enjoyed an interview at the city of S. 
Paulo, and from whom he had received notices of me, as inquiring 
into the religious state of the country. My way was thus made easy 
to introduce the special topic of nry mission. On showing me his 
library, — a very respectable collection of books, — he distinguished, 
as his favorite work, Calmet's Bible, in French, in twenty-six 
volumes. He had no Bible or Testament in Portuguese. I told 
him I had heard that an edition was about to be published at Bio, 
with notes and comments, under the patronage and sanction of the 
Archbishop. This project had been set on foot in order to counter- 
act the circulation of the editions of the Bible-societies, but was 
never carried into effect. He knew nothing of it. He had heard, 
however, that Bibles in the vulgar tongue had been sent to Bio de 
Janeiro, as to other parts of the world, which could be procured 
gratis, or for a trifling consideration. Judge of the happy surprise 
with which I heard from his lips that some of these Bibles had 
already appeared in this neighborhood, three hundred miles distant 
from our depository at Bio. His first remark was, that he did not 
know how much good would come from their perusal, on account 
of the bad example of their bishops and priests. I informed him 
frankly that I was one of the persons engaged in distributing these 
Bibles, and endeavored to explain the motives of our enterprise, 
which he seemed to appreciate. 

"He said Catholicism was nearly abandoned here and all the 
world over. I assured him that I saw abundant proofs of its 
existence and influence; but he seemed to consider these 'the 
form without the power.' Our conversation was here interrupted; 
but, having an opportunity to renew it in the evening, I remarked 
that, knowing me to be a minister of religion, he had reason to 
suppose I would have more pleasure in conversing on that subject 
than upon any other. 

"I then told him I did not comprehend what he meant by saying 
that Catholicism was nearly abandoned. He proceeded to explain 
that there was scarcely any thing of the spirit of religion among 
either priests or people. He, being only a diacono, had the privilege 
of criticizing others. He was strong in the opinion that the laws 
enjoining clerical celibacy should be abolished, since the clergy 
were almost all de facto much worse than married, to the infinite 



An Interesting Conversation. 



387 



scandal of religion; that such was their ignorance that many 
of them ought to sit at the feet of their own people to be in- 
structed in the common doctrines of Christianity; that the spirit 
of infidelity had been of late rapidly spreading, and infecting the 
young, to the destruction of that external respect for religion and 
the fear of God which used to be hereditary. Infidel books were 
common, especially Volney's 'Hums.' I asked whether things were 
growing better or worse. ' Worse/ he replied ; ' worse continually " 
'What means are taken to render them better?' 'None ! We are 
waiting the interference of Providence.' I told him there were 
many pious persons who would gladly come to their aid if it were 
certain they would be permitted to do the work of the Lord. He 
thought they would be well received if they brought the truth; 
meaning, probably, if they were Roman Catholics. 

"I asked him what report I should give to the religious world 
respecting Brazil. 1 Say that we are in darkness, behind the age, 
and almost abandoned.' 'But that you wish for light V 'That we 
wish for nothing. We are hoping in God, the Father of lights.' 

"I proceeded to ask him what was better calculated to counter- 
act the influence of those infidel and demoralizing works he had. 
referred to than the word of God. 'Nothing,' was the reply. 
'How much good, then, is it possible you yourself might do, both 
to your country and to immortal souls, by devoting yourself to the 
true work of an evangelist !' He assented, and hoped that some 
day he should be engaged in it. 

"I had before placed in his hands two or three copies of the New 
Testament, to be given to persons who would receive profit from 
them, and which he had received with the greatest satisfaction. 
I now told him that whenever he was disposed to enter upon the 
work of distributing the Scriptures we could forward them to him 
in any quantity needed. He assured me that he would at any 
time be happy to take such a charge upon himself; that when the 
books were received he would circulate them throughout all the 
neighboring country, and write an account of the manner of their 
disposal. We accordingly closed an arrangement, which subse- 
quently proved highly efficient and interesting. When I showed 
him some tracts in Portuguese, he requested that a quantity of 
them should accompany the remission of Bibles. On my asking 



388 



/ 

Brazil and the Brazilians. 



how the ex-Begent and others like him would regard the circula- 
tion of the Scriptures among the people ; he said they would rejoice 
in it, and that the propriety of the enterprise would scarcely admit 
of discussion. ' Then/ said I, ' when we are engaged in this work 
we can have the satisfaction to know that we are doing what the 
better part of your own clergy approve.' 'Certainly/ he replied: 
'you are doing what we ought to be doing ourselves/ 

'•'Seldom have I spent a night more happily than the one which 
followed, although sleep was disposed to flee from my eyelids. I 
was overwhelmed with a sense of the goodness and providence of 
God, in thus directing my way to the very person out of hundreds 
best qualified, both in circumstances and disposition, to aid in pro- 
moting our great work. This fact was illustrated in the circum- 
stance that, although I had a most cordial letter of introduction to 
the vigario of the same village, which I left at his house, I did not 
see him at all, he happening to be out when I called. To use the 
expression of a gentleman acquainted with the circumstances, 'he 
hid himself/ as though fearing the consequences of an interview, 
and, by not showing at least the customary civilities to a stranger, 
greatly offended the gentleman who had given me the letter. The 
padre whose kindness I experienced had paused in his clerical 
course some years before, and was engaged in the legal profession, 
although he retained his title and character as a priest. In corre- 
spondence with this circumstance, there is scarcely any department 
of civil or political life in which priests are not often found. After 
the second night I was under the necessity of taking leave of him 
in order to pursue my journey. 

"At another village, a young gentleman who had been educated 
in Germany was often in my room, and rendered himself very 
agreeable by his frank and intelligent conversation. He repre- 
sented this to be one of the most religious places in the country, 
having a large number of churches and priests in proportion to 
the population. In one church particularly the priests were un- 
usually strict, and, in the judgment of my informant, quite fana- 
tical. They always wore their distinguishing habit, were correct 
in their moral deportment, required persons belonging to their 
circle to commune very often, and, moreover, discountenanced 
theatres. This latter circumstance was unusual : for, in addition 



How Suicide is Restrained. 



389 



to the clergy being often present at such amusements, there was 
even in that place the instance of a theatre attached to a church. 

"I introduced to this young gentleman the subject of circulating 
the Bible. He at once acknowledged the importance of the enter- 
prise, and expressed great desires that it should go forward j saying 
that the Brazilians, once understanding the objects of the friends 
of the Bible, could not but appreciate them in the most grateful 
manner. He proposed to converse with his friends, to see what 
could be done toward distributing copies among them. I put two 
Testaments in his hands as specimens. The next morning he told 
me that, having exhibited them the evening previous to a company 
of young persons, there had arisen a universal demand for them, 
and many became highly urgent not to be overlooked in the distri- 
bution. He consequently repeated his assurance that the sacred 
books would be received with universal delight, and requested a 
number of copies to be sent to his address. I was told that here 
also many of the rising generation had very little respect for reli- 
gion, through the influence of infidel writings and of other causes. 
The apology for almost any license was, 'I am a bad Catholic/ 
The people generally assented to the dogmas of the Church, but 
seldom complied with its requirements, except when obliged to do 
so by their parents or prompted by the immediate fear of death. 
The rules requiring abstinence from meats on Wednesdays and 
Fridays, also during Lent, had been abolished by a dispensation 
from the diocesan bishop for the last six years, and the Provincial 
Assembly had just asked a repetition of the same favor. The deci- 
sion of the bishop had not then transpired, but many of the people 
were expressing a disposition to live as they should list, be it 
either way. 

" Just previous to my visit to this place, a young man of a re- 
spectable family, having sunk his fortune in an attempted specula- 
tion on a newly-arrived cargo of African slaves, had committed 
suicide. It was said to be the first instance of that crime ever 
known in the vicinity, and the result was an unusual excitement 
among all classes. I may here observe, that suicide is exceedingly 
rare throughout the whole of Brazil ; and there can be but little 
question that the rules of the Church, depriving its victim of Chris- 
tian burial, have exerted a good influence in investing the subject 



390 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



with a suitable horror and detestation. Would to Heaven a similar 
influence had been exerted against other sins equally damning but 
more insidious ! The very abomination of moral desolation could 
exist in the same community almost unrebuked. 

"At a third village I was entertained by a merchant of truly 
liberal ideas and of unbounded hospitality. He also offered to co- 
operate with me in the circulation of the sacred volumes, not only 
in his own town, but also in the regions beyond. 

"Having accomplished a journey of about two hundred miles 
under very favorable circumstances, I again reached the city of 
S. Paulo. I had not stayed so long in various places as I should 
have been interested and happy to do, in compliance with urgent 
invitations. I had, however, important reasons for not indulging 
my pleasure in this respect. My mind had dwelt intensely upon 
the state of the country, as shown by facts communicated to me 
from various and unexceptionable sources. I had anxiously in- 
quired how something for its good might be accomplished ; whether 
there was any possibility of exceeding the slow and circumscribed 
limits of private personal communication of the truth. Hope, in 
answer, had sprung up in my mind, and was beginning to be 
cherished with fond expectation. 

"From the idea of distributing a couple of dozens of Testaments 
in several schools of the city, I was led to think of the practica- 
bility of introducing the same as reading-books in the schools 
of the whole province. This seemed to be more desirable from the 
fact, universally affirmed, that there then prevailed an almost entire 
destitution of any books for such use in the schools. The Mont- 
pellier Catechism was more used for this purpose than any other 
book; but it had little efficacy in fixing religious principles upon a 
proper basis, to resist the undermining process of infidelity. 

"Encouraged by the uniform thankfulness of those individuals to 
whom I presented copies, and also by the judgment of all to whom 
I had thought proper to suggest the idea, I had finally resolved to 
offer to the Government, in some approved form, a donation of 
Testaments corresponding in magnitude to the wants of the pro- 
vince. Fortunately I had, in the secretary and senior professor 
of the university, a friend fully competent to counsel and aid in the 
prosecution of this enterprise. I laid the whole subject before him. 



Proposition to the Provincial Assembly. 



391 



He informed me that the proper method of securing the object 
would be by means of an order from the Provincial Assembly, 
(if that body should see fit to pass one,) directing the teachers 
of schools to receive said books for use. 

" Early next morning he called with me to propose the subject 
to various prominent members of the Legislative Assembly. We 
visited gentlemen belonging to both political parties : two priests, 
one a doctor in medicine and the other a professor in the Academy 
of Laws; the Bishop-elect of Eio de Janeiro, who was confidential 
adviser of the old Bishop of S. Paulo, — the latter also belonging to 
the Assembly; and at length the Andradas. Each of these gentle- 
men entertained the proposition in the most respectful manner, 
and expressed the opinion that it could not fail to be well received 
by the Assembly. The bishop, who was chairman of one of the 
committees to which it would naturally be referred, said he would 
spare no effort on his part to carry so laudable a design into effect. 
He, together with one of the padres referred to, had purchased 
copies of the Bible, at the depository in Bio, for their own use, 
and highly approved of the edition we circulated. 

"Our visit to the Andradas was peculiarly interesting. These 
venerable men, both crowned with hoary hairs and almost worn 
out in the service of their country, received me with gratifying 
expressions of regard toward the United States, and assurances 
of entire reciprocity of feeling toward Christians who might not 
be of the Roman Church. They were acquainted with, and appre- 
ciated the efforts of, the Bible Societies : they, moreover, highly 
approved of the universal use of the Scriptures, especially of the 
New Testament. They pronounced the offer I was about to make 
to be not only unexceptionable, but truly generous, and said that 
nothing in their power should be wanting to carry it into full 
effect. Indeed, Martin Francisco, the president of the Assembly, 
on parting, said that it gave him happiness to reflect that their 
province might be the first to set the example of introducing the 
word of God to its public schools. Senhor Antonio Carlos, at the 
same time, received some copies of the Testament as specimens of 
the translation, which, with the following document, as chairman 
of the Committee on Public Instruction, he presented in course of 
the session for that day : — 



392 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



"'Proposition to the Honorable Legislature, the Provincial Assembly 
of the Imperial Province of S. Paulo. 

" ' Whereas, having visited this province as a stranger, and having 
received high satisfaction, not only in the observation of those natural 
advantages of climate, soil, and productions with which a benignant 
Providence has so eminently distinguished it, but also in the gene- 
rous hospitality and esteemed acquaintance of various citizens; and, 

" ' Whereas, in making some inquiries upon the subject of educa- 
tion, having been repeatedly informed of a great want of reading- 
books in the primary schools, especially in the interior; and, 

Ui Whereas, having relations with the American Bible Society, 
located in New York, the fundamental object of which is to distri- 
bute the Word of God, without note or comment, in different parts 
of the world : and, whereas the New Testament of our Lord and 
Saviour Jesus Christ is a choice specimen of style, as well on sub- 
jects historical as moral and religious, in addition to embodying 
the pure and sacred truths of our holy Christianity, the knowledge 
of which is of so high importance to every individual, both as a 
human being and as a member of society; and, 

" 'Whereas, having the most unlimited confidence in the philan- 
thropic benevolence of said Society, and in its willingness to co- 
operate for the good of this country, in common with all others, 
and especially in view of the happy relations existing between two 
prominent nations of the New World : therefore I propose to 
guarantee, on the part of the said American Bible Society, the free 
donation of copies of the New Testament, translated into Portu- 
guese by the Padre Antonio Pereira de Figueiredo, in sufficient 
number to furnish every primary school in the province with a 
library of one dozen, — on the simple condition that said copies shall 
be received as delivered at the Alfandega (Custom-House) of Rio 
de Janeiro, and caused to be distributed among, preserved in, and 
used by, the said several schools, as books of general reading and 
instruction for the pupils of the same. 

" ' With the most sincere desires for the moral and civil prosperity 
of the Imperial province of San Paulo, the above proposition is 
humbly and respectfully submitted. " <D. P. Kidder. 

" 'City op San Paulo, Feb. 15, 1839.' 

"The same day I received a verbal message, saying that the 
Assembly had received the proposition with peculiar satisfaction, 
and referred it to the two committees on ecclesiastical affairs and 
on public instruction. The following official communication was 
subsequently received : — 



Response and Eesults. 



393 



TRANSLATION. 

" 'To Mr. Kidder : — I inform you that the Legislative Assembly 
has received with especial satisfaction your offer of copies of the 
.New Testament, translated by the Padre Antonio Pereira de 
Figueiredo, and that the Legislature will enter into a deliberation 
upon the subject, the result of which will be communicated to you. 
" ' God preserve you ! 

" ' Miguel Eufrazio de Azevedo Marquez, Sec. 
"'Palace of the Provincial Assembly,-* 
S. Paulo, Feb. 20, 1839.' j 

"Among other acquaintances formed at S.Paulo was that of a 
clergyman, another professor in the Law University. His con- 
versation was frank and interesting, and his views unusuallv 
liberal. He gave as emphatic an account as I have heard from 
any one of the unhappy abandonment of all vital godliness and 
of the unworthiness of many of the clergy. He approved of the 
enterprise of the Bible Societies, and cheerfully consented to pro- 
mote it within the circle of his influence by distributing Bibles 
and tracts, and reporting their utility. Exchanging addresses 
with this gentleman, I left him, entertaining a high estimation 
of his good intentions, and with ardent hopes that he might yet be 
greatly useful in the regeneration of his Church and in the salva- 
tion of his countrymen. 

"Thus were happily completed arrangements with persons of 
the first respectability and influence, in each principal place of the 
interior which I had visited, that they should distribute the word 
of God among their fellow-citizens. All the copies that I brought 
were already disposed of, and there was a prospect that the day 
was not distant when it could be said that a Eoman Catholic Legis- 
lature had fully sanctioned the use of the Holy Scriptures in the 
public schools of their entire territory. I was told, on the best 
authority, that the committees of the Assembly were drafting a 
joint report, recommending compliance with the offer by means 
of an order on the treasury for the funds needed in payment of the 
duties and the expense of distribution. 

"Such circumstances as the results of this short visit were so far 
beyond the most sanguine anticipation, that, on leaving, I found it 
difficult to restrain my feelings of gratitude and delight for what 
mine eyes had seen and mine ears had heard. 



B94 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



"In conclusion, it becomes necessary to add that, owing to the 
agitations and intrigues common to most political bodies, action in 
reference to my proposition was delayed beyond the expectation 
of its friends. The last direct intelligence I had from the subject 
was received in conversation with the president of the Assembly. 
I met this gentleman on his subsequent arrival at Eio de Janeiro 
to discharge his duties as a member of the House of Deputies. 
He informed me that such were the political animosities existing 
between the two parties into which the Assembly was divided that 
very little business of any kind had been done during the session. 
The minority as a party, and individuals of the majority, favored 
the project, but, under the circumstances, did not wish to urge im- 
mediate action upon it, Aleantime, through some slanders circu- 
lated by an English Catholic priest residing at Eio, the suspicions 
of the old bishop were excited lest the translation was not actually 
what it purported to be, but had suffered alterations. 

"An examination was proposed, but, either through inability or 
wilful neglect, was not attempted; and thus the superstitious 
humor of the old diocesan was counted among other things which 
caused delay. The president expressed a hope that on the next 
organization of the Assembly the proposal would be fully accepted. 

•'•'I subsequently saw in a newspaper that the committee to whom 
the subject had been referred, or probably its chairman, in direct 
contravention of his voluntary promise to me, but in obedience to 
the old bishop's idle fears, had filed in the secretary's office a report 
unfavorable to the proposal. The proposition was probably never 
acted upon. To the credit of the province, it certainly was never 
formally rejected." 

The dissemination of the truth, however, does not depend upon 
legislative acts or the aid of statesmen, though we may hail with 
pleasure every move of the "powers that be"' for the advancement 
of knowledge and religion. The circulation of the Scriptures is 
not a matter of sectarianism ; and all should rejoice in the diffusion 
of that "which" (as the barbarian chieftain in Northumberland 
said to his compeers when the first monk visited Britannia) 
" teaches us the origin and the destiny of our souls.'' 

I visited the province of S. Paulo more than sixteen years after 
the events narrated above, and I found the same willingness mani- 



Fruits of Former Labors. 



395 



fested by all ranks of society in the reception of the word which 
my companion in authorship experienced among the Paulistas, and 
I was thus enabled to diffuse very many copies of Holy Writ. From 
time to time, in this pleasant portion of Brazil, I found much to 
encourage my labors among the humble and ignorant as well as 
among the more elevated and intelligent. It was not less pleasing 
occasionally to trace the workings of the seeds of truth sown so 
many years before by Dr. Kidder. I found that an eminent Brazilian 
had been won, by the perusal of A Santa Biblia, to "wisdom's ways/' 
and to become the earnest advocate of its circulation. Far in the 
interior of this province I met with two gentlemen who did not 
profess to be Christians, but who, as philanthropists, took a deep 
interest in the Bible cause. One of them told me that a Brazilian 
came to him a few days before with a Portuguese Bible, saying 
that he was "so rejoiced to have the Bible in his own vernacular." 
ity informant thinks this Biblia must have come either from my pre- 
decessor or from the Bibles left at the house of an American merchant 
in Rio de Janeiro. I was also informed by an English watchmaker 
at Campinas that he had met with a Brazilian who had in his pos- 
session a Portuguese Bible, and that he took great pleasure in carry- 
ing it with him to the Eoman Catholic church each Sunday. 

In a most fertile and densely-populated portion of the province 
I made the acquaintance of a physician who had resided in Brazil 
eleven years, — had travelled, for scientific purposes, through much 
of the Empire, — had won the respect and esteem of the Brazilians 
by his affability as well as his professional ability. He therefore 
has a great influence. It is his opinion that Brazil, in a certain 
sense, is ready for a reformation; but that the inhabitants have 
had such immoral priests, and are themselves so low in a moral 
point of view, that it would not be a vigorous breaking away from 
the trammels of Romanism. They are, however, not bigoted, and 
are willing to read. He it was that gave me the instance of the 
padre who, by reading some of the works of Luther that had 
strayed from Germany into Brazil, preached such Protestant ser- 
mons that he was attacked by the bishop, and finally driven away 
from his parish, but not from his sentiments. It seemed to me, 
when hearing of this incident, that the old German Eeformer was 
still hurling his inkstand. 



CHAPTEE XXI. 



AGREEABLE ACQUAINTANCE — OLD CONGO'S SPURS — LODGING AND SLEEPING— ^-COM- 
PANY CAMPINAS ILLUMINATIONS A NIGHT AMONG THE LOWLY ARRIVAL AT 

LIMEIRA A PENNSYLVANIAN A NIGHT WITH A BOA CONSTRICTOR — EVENTFUL 

AND ROMANTIC LIFE OF A NATURALIST — THE BIRD-COLONY DESTINED TO THE 

PHILADELPHIA ACADEMY OF NATURAL SCIENCES YBECABA SKETCH OF THE 

VERGUEIROS — PLAN OF COLONIZATION — BRIDGE OF NOVEL CONSTRUCTION — 
FUTURE PROSPECTS. 

On the morning of the 21st of June, I left the city of San Paulo 
for Limeira. Before starting, I called upon Messrs. E. and C, two 
English engineers who had come out to make the surveys for a car- 
riage-road into the interior. In the bookcase of Madam E. I 
found many an old friend. How curious it was to see Cheever's 
"Windings by the Waters of the Eiver of Life/' Hamilton's "Life 
in Earnest/' and other good books, in this distant city, whose very 
existence was perhaps unknown to the authors mentioned ! I was 
loath to leave the agreeable company at Mr. E.'s ; but my mules, horse, 
and conductor were all ready, and now, with this cavalcade, vamos. 

My conductor was an old darkey of sixty, whose vestments con- 
J sisted of a roundabout, a pair of pantaloons, and an old straw 
hat. His naked, bony heels were ungarnished by the slightest 
sign of a spur. As I was to ride fast, in order to accomplish my 
journey in a given time, I saw that it would never do to have old 
Congo go unarmed as to his pedal ex- 
tremities ; so, reining up at a hard- ' 
ware-store, I furnished the ancient with 1 '^jflL £ ' ^ 
a pair of iron spurs, each spike of J jEraf 1 ^ ■ 
which was large enough for the gaff of ML ^^^S^ 
a fighting-cock. With a bit of whip- < ^'|L#^j^~ " 
cord he fastened them to his skinny ilSP^ 
ankles, and, mounting, we were soon 
en route, and in a few minutes cleared the city of San Paulo. 

At ten o'clock in this climate the sun is by no means cold. The 
396 



Old Congo's Spurs. 



397 



extra animals, once outside of the streets, had a great disposition 
to roam over the plains of Piratininga, and much of our time was 
lost in changing from one side of the road to the other in search 
of the fugitives. Under the influence of his unusual exercise and 
the warmth of the day, the juice of youth seemed to be oozing out 
of old Congo. He uttered prayers, at a most vociferous rate, to 
Santa Maria and Diabo. And I am sorry to record that most of 
his pious ejaculations were to the latter character, whose name, 
though not in the calendar, is more frequently used in Brazil than 
those of all the saints put together. Hearing the clatter of hoofs 
behind us, I turned round, and beheld two Paulistas galloping in 
the same direction with ourselves. In passing us, they both burst 
into a fit of immoderate laughter. I could not at first divine what 
so excited their cachinnatory powers, until one of them exclaimed, 
" Olha as esporas." Upon looking down, I perceived that the whip- 
cord which fastened the iron spikes to the heels of old Congo had 
slipped around, and the spur was standing 
out prominently in front of his instep. The 
old fellow, in his arduous chase after the 
wandering mules, had not perceived this, and 
went on belaboring and thumping the sides 
of his animal with his blunt, bony heels. 
After the ride of a league, I found my 
boxes; but Joachim Antonio da Silva, the muleteer who had them 
in charge, would not give them up until I made many assurances 
that all was right. And now once more forward ! 

Previous to to-day, I had always had young negroes or German 
boys for my conductors, and I feared that the ambition of old 
Congo was dead, and that no hope of reward would resurrect it. 
He went very slow: the journey must be accomplished with those 
boxes in four days, or I could not come off victor. The trip was 
considered, by muleteers, one of eight days; so, in order to accele- 
rate the speed of my animals, I determined not to leave old Congo. 

We pushed on, as rapidly as possible, through a fine region of 
country, abounding in coffee and sugar plantations. I had much 
conversation with the old negro, who could remember when, more 
than half a century ago, he was stolen on the coast of Africa, but 
did not recollect ever having heard the story of the Creation and 




398 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Redemption; so' I employed myself in endeavoring to pour into his 
mind some light on that greatest of all subjects to man. He found 
it very interesting, and pronounced it "muito bonito," (very beau- 
tiful.) 

With all our pushing, driving, and changing animals, we only 
got over twenty-four miles, — which is a good day's work for Bra- 
zilians, but did not satisfy me. By a bright moon we arrived at a 
house where we could find no " entertainment for man or beast." 
"We rode on to a mere road-side hovel, and to our question, Tern 
lugar? we received the response, "We cannot receive you: we have 
no room." This was from a slatternly-looking mulattress. Every 
thing was against us; but it was impossible for us to go farther. 
Old Congo, however, made a speech with such eloquence that the 
desired quarters were obtained. And such a room ! No cabin in 
Old Ireland, or clapboard shed in the "Far West," could surpass it 
in ugliness and narrowness, to say nothing of dirt. The floor was 
mud, and the walls were of dried mud, ornamented with the marks 
of the "daubing" fingers. It was six feet by eight, and here were 
stowed self, saddles, sacks, and Congo. No wonder that they said 
they had "no room/' We supped off of beans, uncooked corn- 
meal, and eggs, whose durable qualities were not to be questioned. 
We (that is, I first and Congo afterward) stood up (for there was 
no chair in the house) to a table something like a horse-trough. I 
am capable of any thing. My bed was a mat spread on a board 
and graced by a pillow and a sheet. Such an article as a coverlet 
did not exist in that casa. The African had more sense than I 
had, for his poncho was large and heavy. By a dim light stuck 
into the mud wall, I read to poor old Congo the first passage of the 
Holy Word that he, doubtless, had ever heard in a language which 
he understood; then, praying in Portuguese, I lay down upon my 
board, and he upon the ground, which I think must have been a 
softer couch than mine. In a letter to a friend I thus detailed my 
experience: — "I piled on to me, in lieu of coverlet, my saddle- 
cloth and mackintosh. I was more sensitive to the cold than the 
night before, and sleep would not be wooed. I then put on my 
coat; but that did not keep off the cold nor the fleas, which were 
* still so gently o'er me' creeping. I kicked away until I could 
stand it no longer, and then (I scarcely dare write it to you) I 



How We Slept. 



399 



aroused old Congo from a sound sleep, and made him get into — no 
— on to my board, to warm me. It was not exactly the case of the 
aged monarch of Israel; for it was cruel to transfer the ancient 
darky from the comfortable bosom of mother-earth to the hard 
realities of a soft board and a cold young man. I profited nothing 
by it, for slumber came not to my eyelids, and the thought of cer- 
tain bixos rendered me still more wakeful, if such a thing were 
possible." 

Before cock-crowing I ordered the mules to be saddled, and at 
daylight we were again on our way. I rode on, far in advance of 
my muleteer, and, passing a mile beyond the village of Jundiahy, I 
arrived at the hotel of Senhor Jose Pinto. I found a large party 
at a twelve-o'clock breakfast, which repast was perfectly a la 
Brazilienne. They supposed that I would wish matters in a different 
style, but I made them all at ease by sitting down, telling them 
that I was not a stranger, and manifesting my "at-horneness" by 
eating as heartily of their dishes as if I had been accustomed to 
them all my life. This opened their hearts, and thus gave me, both 
then and afterward, an opportunity of speaking of those higher 
interests which concern man here below. 

In two hours or more my baggage-mules came up. I perceived 
that, at this rate, it would be impossible for me to get on as I 
wished, or to complete all my arrangements at Limeira and 
Ybecaba and get back to Rio de Janeiro for my northern trip. 
Fortunately for me, I found at Jose Pinto's the two Paulistas whose 
mirth had been so excited at the revolution of the old African's 
spurs. They were going far into the interior, and had an extra 
animal, which I hired, and pushed on, accompanied by them, leav- 
ing my old Congo to come up sem duvidade (without fail) two days 
after me. 

I had now a better opportunity of knowing something more of 
the moradores, or road-side dwellers, of which class my companions 
were specimens. They sang for me fandango melodies, Ethiopian 
airs in bad Portuguese, and entertained me in various ways. In 
return, I gave them some information about the world outside of 
Brazil, not leaving out, in the end, a mention of the "Happy 
Land." 

Our resting-place was to be the important town of Campinas, 



400 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



(or San Carlos,) more than one hundred miles in the interior. As 
we approached this town, I was struck by the beauty and fertility 
of the surrounding country. The grand old mountains had been 
left far behind us, and around, as far as I could see, were extensive 
plains, or rather rolling prairies, and almost every acre occupied. 
There were most highly-cultivated coffee-plantations, from whose 
deep green could be seen, peeping here and there, the large white resi- 
dences of the planters. It was on the evening of the 28th of June 
that we drew near Campinas. The clear beauty of the tropic night 
was made even more beautiful by the illumination of the city, 
by the huge bonfires spread over the plains, and by the most bril- 
liant fireworks sent up from every street and from all the sur- 
rounding plantations. The sight and sounds were such that one. 
without any stretch of imagination, would have believed himself 
near some besieged city during a fierce bombardment. It was 
"St. Peter's Eve;" and every man who had a Pedro attached to his 
name felt himself obligated to burn a huge heap of combustibles 
before his door, and to send up any quantity of sky-rockets and 
fire off innumerable pistols, muskets, and cannon. Under such a 
storm we entered Campinas. My two Paulistas led me through 
the narrow streets, and we finally arrived before a row of small 
whitewashed houses. These were the residences of the friends of 
my Paulistas; but I could not think of stopping there, and desired 
that some one would lead the way to an inn. They were all very 
kind, but were so occupied with our tired animals that no one 
could be spared for the purpose. The hotel, if one can call it such, 
was at a great distance, and it was suggested that I had better 
stop with them, though it was muito mat, (very bad fare.) I thought 
that it could not be harder than the night before. I entered : this 
was the residence of Senhor Theobardo o Carpinteiro; or, in plain 
English, Theobald the carpenter. Senhor Theobardo, however, had 
not expended any of his skill upon his own house, for the floors 
and the walls were composed of the same substance as the street. 
The night before I had only been in the outer court. I now had 
an opportunity of seeing the inner temple. Senhor Theobardo was 
half Indian, half mulatto, and I think that, if he could have had 
an extra half, it would have been yellow Portuguese. He and his 
children had formed such a close alliance with the substance of 



Sr. Theobabda the Carpenter. 



401 



which his floors were made, that one could literally say that all 
(judging from their complexion) were of the "dust of the earth/' 
The kitchen, which served the purpose of parlor and dining-room, 
was without chimney, chairs, or any of the appliances of civilized 
life. A few earthen pots were the culinary utensils, and a fire in 
one corner of the room, in the style of the Patagonians, (indeed, 1 
have seen the same kind among the Terra del Fuegians,) served for 
cooking, the smoke the meanwhile escaping as best it could. 
When I saw Mr. Theobardo, Mrs. T., and all the little T.s squatting 
around the fire, and the mellow light of the embers not softening 
their sallow features, which, excepting their flashing eyes, were un- 
relieved by a single trace of cleanliness or grace, I thought that 
Borrow, in his wildest adventures among the gypsies of Spain, 
could not have witnessed a group more wild, more dirty, or more 
picturesque. But I soon found that, although they had dirty 
faces, they had large hearts, and I reflected that my mission was 
to them as well as to the more elevated; so I made myself at 
home, and also put them at their ease. We talked about the United 
States, and finally I got out a Portuguese ]N"ew Testament, and, 
collecting whites, and those who had all sorts of mixtures, from 
the white, through the red, down to the negro, I commenced read- 
ing the Holy Book. I had a most interested audience, who proba- 
bly for the first time heard the message of salvation. I shall 
never forget that night, and the kindness of the most lowly people 
I ever met with, — lowly, at least, as to this world's goods; and 
it is my earnest hope and prayer that the truth may reach and 
enrich their souls. 

The room which they assigned to me was not quite so large as 
the one I had occupied the night before, and was shared between 
boards, planes, chisels, saws, harness, saddles, a Paulista, and my- 
self. Just as I was retiring, a huge wooden bowl, as large as a 
bath-tub, was brought to me filled with water. This was of their 
own accord : but who would have thought it, among these people 
who apparently never performed any ablutions? 

That night slumber was sweet indeed; and the next morning I 

departed at an early hour, leaving my blessing and one milreis with 

the kind Theobardo. The former he accepted, but the latter he 

declined, until I forced it upon him as a lembranga. 

26 



402 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Our route was still more picturesque than that of yesterday 
The fine road was overshadowed by trees and wild vines; and the 
carolling birds and singing Paulistas made the ten leagues appear 
short. Our party was enlarged by two young Germans on their 
way to Ybecaba. All the houses by the road-sides, and even the 
huge churches, are built of (or, rather, rammed down with) mud 
or clay. The large conventual buildings of S. Paulo and the im- 
mense church of Campinas (whose walls are five feet in diameter) 
are composed of beaten earth. 

The whole feature of the country had changed: the sublime 
scenery of the coast was not here to be found, but, in its stead, that 
which reminded me of the United States. In the newness of the 
settlements and plantations, I could have easily believed myself in 
the northern part of Ohio. We were now constantly fording and 
passing over streams, which were the head-waters of the Eiver 
Plate. We pushed on until night, illumined by a full moon in an 
unclouded sky, brought us to the town of Limeira. Here I had 

before been informed I should find an American physician, Dr. , 

formerly of Pennsylvania. I rode up to his house, and had a most 
welcome reception. I desired to journey on by moonlight to the 
plantation of Senator Yergueiro; but the doctor would take no re- 
fusal, and stated as a further inducement that another American 
had arrived that very day, and that we together would compose 
such a trio as had never before been seen in the distant villa of 
Limeira. 

Limeira is situated in a most fertile region, watered by streams 
that send their tribute to the mighty Parana. If Dr. — — was 
surprised at my unexpected arrival, I was no less astonished to 
learn that another American had arrived that day, who was peram- 
bulating the province, practising his profession of dentist. In 
what nation pretending to civilization will you not find the Ame- 
rican dentist? I may be permitted to indulge a little patriotic 
pride when speaking of this profession, whose members more than 
any other of my compatriots may be found in almost any portion 
of the world. Their superior merits have been repeatedly acknow- 
ledged by Englishmen and Frenchmen of the same profession. The 
secret of their perfection and success has been owing to various 
causes, not the least of which is the regular dental colleges which 



American Dentists in Foreign Lands. 403 



exist in the United States, being the first institutions of the kind 
ever founded, and until recently the only ones in the world. I have 
met with American dentists at Eio de Janeiro, Valparaiso, and in 
New Granada. At Paris the dentists a la mode are Americans.* A 
sickly schoolmate, with whom in years gone by I had dug out 
many a page of hard Latin, is now the most popular dentist in 
Berlin. On the continent, in interior cities, you will meet with 
Yankee teeth-replacers and teeth-extractors; and, if the professor 
or doctor has not the advantage of being a citizen of the great 
Eepublic, he publishes in emphatic characters in his advertisements 
that he has studied his profession in the United States, or fills molars 
a la mode Americaine. 

But to return to Dr. . He gave me a hearty Pennsylvania 

welcome, and, as it was late, soon conducted me to my chamber. 
Now, this chamber was adjacent to a medicine-room, where were 
not only plenty of the bottled doses which flesh in Brazil is fre- 
quently "heir to," but also the apartment was adorned with many 
specimens of the rich floral and animal kingdoms of Brazil. There 
being no door to close the aperture that existed between this room 
and mine, I was frequently disturbed during the night by a strange 
noise, which could not proceed from unemployed physic or from the 
dried and stuffed specimens which were hung around in profusion. 
When daylight returned, I ascertained that the singular noise had 
arisen from the rustling of a very fine boa-constrictor, that had slept 
(or rather attempted to sleep) within about eight feet of my bed. 



* American Dentists. — Mr. Walsh, the Paris correspondent of the Journal of 
Commerce, in a late letter, says : — 

"A few days ago I had occasion to apply to the principal Paris bookseller in the 
department of medicine for some recent comprehensive and elegant work on Den- 
tistry. He wrote to me at once the following reply : — 'I regret that it is not in my 
power to meet your wishes : there is nothing recent nor good in France on the art 
and science of dentistry. Our surgeons are obliged to borrow from the Americans 
their proficiency and treatises on this subject, acknowledging that your country- 
men are much further advanced than they themselves are in this important branch 
of the medical art. It is unnecessary for me to mention to you works published 
fifteen years ago.' Your dentists may be gratified by this testimony. The success 
of the Americans of the profession who have settled in this capital is strong evi- 
dence of the justness of appreciation." 



404 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

This room-mate of mine had been presented to the doctor, and was 
one of the chief occupants of the medical apartment. 

The doctor's life had been of that romantic kind which from 
time to time we find coupled with devoted study and hard reality. 
A great lover of nature, he early turned his attention to botany and 
geology. He roamed over the whole United States, and finally 
came with a few others to Brazil, many years ago, to explore the 
flora and mineralogy of this Empire. Being an enthusiastic natu- 
ralist, he fairly revelled in the glorious field of his favorite studies; 
but the sickness of one of the expedition brought him back to Bio 
de Janeiro, where he was induced by the American minister to fill 
the place of mineralogist on board of an American frigate which 
was on its way to examine the coal-fields of Borneo. I shall not 
soon forget the interesting account which he gave me of this ex- 
pedition, during which he visited Madagascar, the coasts of Zanzi- 
bar, China, Tonquin, Manilla, &c. &c. His reports adorn the 
publications of the Smithsonian Institute. After he had filled his 
accepted time of service on board the frigate, he returned to Brazil, 
penetrated the forest, and resumed, on his own account, further 
explorations; but, in order to obtain the necessary means, he first 
practised his profession as a physician. 

From other lips I learned the sequel of the doctor's adventures 
in a field widely different from that of botany. He opened his 
office on the plaza of an important town in the interior of San 
Paulo. On the opposite side of the square was a young Brazilian 
widow, endowed with the double attraction of wealth and beauty. 
It was not long before the doctor was approached by empenhos,* 
and became duly informed that the bereaved Brazilienne thought 
that she could find in him a solace for all her afflictions. The doctor 
replied that he was already married to the virgin forests, and, not 
contemplating another marriage, ran away to his beautiful woods. 



* Empenho : this word is used in Brazil to express the idea, in politics, commerce, 
&c. &c, of soliciting aid, promotion, and favors not by direct approaches. Thus, 
A wishes a favor from D : A ascertains that B is very well acquainted with C, who 
is a most influential friend of D, and to whom D is under obligations. B goes to C, 
and C in turn to D, and thus the favor is obtained through intermediates. The 
verb empenhar means to lay, to pawn, to pledge, to persuade. Dinheiro, Diabo, 
and Empenho are most frequently used in Brazil. 



Romance of a Botanist. 



405 



On his return, however, a more powerful empenho was brought to 
bear upon him. The doctor yielded, — was led to the church, and 
the fair Paulista married him. Their union was blessed by a fine, 
chubby boy, whom the patriotic physician named George Washing- 
ton, fondly hoping that this was the first child born in Brazil who 
bore the illustrious name. "But," said he, "fancy my disgust 
when, the other day, I learned that some yellow Sertanejo had 
anticipated me, and had his clay-bank urchin baptized also George 
Washington !" 

At the earnest request of influential persons, he took up his 
residence at Limeira; but his plans for botanical researches, foiled 
for a time, have not been given up, and it is his intention at some 
future day to explore the dense sylva of the interior, where nature 
so luxuriantly abounds in the gigantic, the wonderful, and the 
beautiful. 

On the following morning after my arrival at Limeira, accom- 
panied by Dr. , I went to the Fazenda de Ybecaba, the planta- 
tion of the Yergueiros. It was a clear and lovely day, and we 
rode along under an archway of forest-trees, many of them clad 
with the most curious epiphytes and orchidaceous plants. From 
time to time the doctor would point out some very remarkable 
subjects of this portion of Flora's kingdom, and delineate their 
peculiarities and qualities as only one can whose heart is bound 
up in the beauties of nature. We halted in an open space, and my 
companion indicated with his finger one of the common palms of 
this region. In the tree itself there was nothing to render it 
worthy of attention above its fellows to those accustomed to its 
graceful form; but there was an accidental interest given to it 
which called forth the doctor's enthusiastic admiration. He was 
not only a thoroughly-educated botanist and mineralogist, but was 
an amateur ornithologist, and loved to watch every trait of the 
gaudy and brilliant birds of Brazil. From the tufted crown of the 
palm there hung twenty nests of the large oriole called the Iguash ; 
and the feathery inhabitants of this swinging town were hovering 
around and chattering like "children just let loose from school." 
The doctor informed me that, though so many leagues intervened 
between Limeira and the sea-coast, he would cause the tree to 
be carefully cut down, sawed into sections, and trunk, top, and 



406 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



nest transported to Santos, and there shipped for Philadelphia. Its 
destiny, after it arrived at the City of Brotherly Love, was to be the 
Academy of Natural Sciences. The nests would also be sent, with 
several specimens of the Iguash. This whole project, however, 
was to be coupled with one condition, which was a sina qua non; i.e. 
the Directors of the said Academy of Natural Sciences were to re- 
erect the palm-tree, with its long nest-adornments, in the centre or 
in some conspicuous part of their edifice; for, unless this was 
guaranteed, the doctor added, " palm-tree, birds, and all would soon 
be consigned to oblivion. " It was a grand idea — and I doubt if it 
were ever before entertained by a naturalist — to transport a lofty 
nest-covered tree on the shoulders of men for more than two hun- 
dred miles, in order that it might be sent thousands of leagues 
over the ocean as a specimen of the wonders of vegetation and of 
the bird-architecture of this Southern Hemisphere. 

We resumed our route, and 
in a few minutes we over- 
took old Congo, who, true to 
his word, had driven and 
ridden well, and had got over 
more ground in forty-eight 
hours than he had on any 
previous occasion in five days. 
We emerged from the forest- 
bordered road, and saw in the 
distance the celebrated plan- 
tation of Senator Yergueiro. 
Though I had heard more of this establishment than of any 
similar one in Brazil, it did not fall behind my anticipation. 
We passed through the great gateway, and were welcomed by the 
screams of a flock of gayly-painted parrots, which were at times 
alighting, and at times whirling around the tops of a group of lofty 
trees. Two pairs of them rested upon different branches, and 
seemed to be in amiable confab in regard to the newly-arrived. 
Between Campinas and Limeira, and also at Ybecaba, I beheld the 
loftiest trees that I met with in any portion of the country. Three 
noble denizens of the forest have been left not far from the resi- 
dence of Senhor Yergueiro, and form a conspicuous object in the 




The Fazexda of Ybecaba. 



407 



landscape. In the distance could be seen the manor and the chapel, 
and on either side of them various out-buildings, which served as 
shops, store-rooms for coffee, and sheds for machinery. On our 
left were neat little cottages belonging to the colonists. The pecu- 
liarity of Ybecaba consists in the fact that free labor is employed 
in carrying on its vast operations; and those whom Senator Yer- 
gueiro and his sons have brought to displace the Africans are men 
of the working-classes from Germany and Switzerland. With en- 
larged views and true economy, we shall see in the sequel that 
they have adopted that plan which has not only been productive 
of great and profitable results to themselves, but that they have 
helped to elevate and greatly benefit the condition of those who 
were in narrow circumstances at home. The Yergueiros have 
solved the question, so often asked, " What is the true mode for 
colonization in Brazil?" 

As we drew near the mansion we saw on every side of us evi- 
dences of thrift. For the first time away from Eio de Janeiro I 
saw carts whose wheels were not of the old primitive Eoman kind, 
but turned upon their axles like civilized cartwheels. And it may 
be mentioned that these, and all the agricultural implements and 
machinery, are manufactured on the plantation. When subse- 
quently examining the workmanship of carpenters, cabinet-makers, 
blacksmiths, and wheelwrights, from the Cantons de Yaud and 
Yalais, and from interior villages of Prussia, I perceived that not 
only had they not lost their skilfulness, but had actually gained 
under the supervision of their enlightened proprietors. 

Senhor Luiz Yergueiro received us with marked attention. 
The doctor was, of course, an old favorite; but Senhor Y. soon 
made me feel at home, and I afterward discovered that he took a 
deep interest in my visit to Brazil, from the account which he had 
read in the Correio Mercantil of my presentation, at Eio de Janeiro, 
of the various specimens of American arts and manufactures to 
the Emperor and to the different scientific societies of the 
metropolis. 

Every facility was given me for full investigation of the books of 
the plantation and the condition of the colony, which enabled me 
to make a just and fair comparison between this system of coloni- 
zation and those of Petropolis and Donna Francisca, and also to see 



408 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



more clearly the results of contrasted free and slave labor. The 
whole of the day was thus occupied; but, before detailing any ac- 
count of that examination, it will be best to give a more full 
account of the family Vergueiro, whose venerable head has been 
mentioned several times in previous pages of this work. 

Nicholau de Pereira de Campos Vergueiro is a native of Portugal, 
and of noble descent. He arrived in Brazil before the King, Bom 
John VI. By profession a lawyer, he is a man of cultivated and 
disciplined mind. He early settled in the province of San Paulo, 
and took a conspicuous part in the political affairs of the country. 
Prom the very commencement of agitations for extending the 
rights of his adopted land, he stood in the foremost rank of patriots, 
shoulder to shoulder with the Andradas, Peijo, and others eminent 
in the struggle for Brazilian independence. His private virtues, his 
moderate and enlightened views, and his great firmness, made him 
an object of confidence on the part of the people. He was deputed 
to the Cortes of Portugal, having for his colleagues Jose Bonifacio 
de Andrada, and Peijo. He did not, however, escape to England 
with them when they were threatened by the Cortes, but demanded, 
fearlessly and firmly, his passport, and succeeded in obtaining ii. 
,He returned to Bio de Janeiro, and from that time to this has been 
a leader on the liberal side of politics, and is to-day called a 
Santa Lusia. Prom the era of Brazilian liberty until now, he has 
either been Deputy or Senator. On that trying night when the 
people in the Campo Santa Anna clamored for the reinstatement 
of the Ministry dismissed the previous day, Bom Pedro L, before 
resorting to the last expedient left to him by the Constitution, sent 
for Yergueiro, knowing that he was one who possessed the confi- 
dence of the populace, to desire him to form a ministry in accord- 
ance with their wishes. Yergueiro was not found, or the revolution 
would have either been stayed or put off to a more distant period. 
He has been repeatedly Minister of the Empire, has received 
eminent places from the people, but has steadfastly refused ail title 
of nobility, and every honor from the Imperial Executive, except 
the Grand Cross of Santa Cruz. 

Before leaving for Southern Brazil, I called upon Senator Yer- 
gueiro at Bio de Janeiro. He was at that time present in the 
capital during the session of the Assemblea Gcral, and resided in 



Senator Vergueiro and Family. 



409 



the beautiful suburb of Botafogo. It was in the evening that I 
entered his residence, and was received by his daughters, whom I 
found intelligent and possessing one accomplishment so often 
lacking in a Brazilian lady : they could converse. Not many 
moments elapsed before the venerable Senator entered. His hair 
was white, and his form was bowed under the weight of fourscore 
years; yet in the glance of his eye there was something which told 
that the soul was neither slumbering nor decrepid. His smiling 
countenance also proclaimed that neither the burdens of age nor 
of past and present public and private service had affected in the 
least degree the cheerfulness of his nature. Whether conversing 
about the copies of the sacred truth, or of my contemplated visit 
to Ybecaba, — whether addressing a playful remark to his family, or 
a word of information to me, — he was a most pleasant picture of a 
hale and happy old man, with his mental powers unimpaired, and 
with the hopefulness of youth. The aged statesman stands almost 
alone in the Brazilian Senate-Chamber; for the patriotic yet 
impetuous Andradas are gone; the eloquent, the irresistible, but 
unsafe Yasconcellos has long since been laid in the tomb; the old 
Marquis of YalenQa has recently been followed to his "long home;" 
a new generation of Brazilians fill their places: nevertheless, 
Mcholau de Pereira de Campos Yergueiro still represents an 
admiring constituency, no longer, as in stormier times, battling for 
right, but as the advocate of every measure for the advancement 
of his beloved country. 

Few men in Brazil have been blessed with such sons; few, we 
may add, have taken such pains to have their children properly 
educated. Co-operating with their father, they have presented in 
their colony a model to their compatriots. His four sons were 
educated in Brazil, Germany, and England. The oldest, Senhor 
Luiz, studied law at the University of Gottingen. Senhor Jose (head 
of the Santos house) was trained in the military school of Prussia, 
and rose to the position of first lieutenant of the thirty-seventh 
Prussian infantry during the troubles between Belgium and 
Holland. 

The third son (who had charge of the Pio house of Yergueiro & 
Filhos) was educated as a commercial man in London and Ham- 
burg, and the younger brother had a thorough mercantile training 



410 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



in the same cities. By their European education they have been 
enabled to carry out more easily the plans of their father concern- 
ing emigration. 

In 1841, Senhor Yergueiro, in the teeth of public opinion, sent 
to Germany for forty families as colonists; but the General Govern- 
ment was so opposed to the old Senator during the troubles of 1842, 
in the province of San Paulo, that the colony was broken up. In 
1846, he again commenced carrying out his project; and, in so 
doing, he has been completely successful. The Government itself 
through official organs, has commended the system of Yergueiro 
as the system worthy of imitation. 

That system may be stated in few words. Sr. Yergueiro has in 
Europe an agent who communicates with cantonal and communal 
authorities, and with private individuals, offering inducements to 
the able-bodied poor who wish to emigrate with their families to 
the New World. The emigrant, at his option, can defray his own 
expenses to Brazil, or, permitting Sr. Yergueiro to transport him, 
he (the emigrant) agrees in such case to refund at his own time 
and convenience the price of his passage at a small rate of interest. 
The agent at Hamburg charters a vessel, and thus a large number 
of colonists are enabled to seek a new home at a very moderate 
outlay. 

Sr. Y. guarantees on his part to defray all the expenses of the 
colonists from the sea-coast to his plantations, and, on their arrival 
at their final destination, to furnish each head of a family with a 
house, so many thousand coffee-trees, proportioned to the number 
of each family, and to supply all with provisions, articles of 
clothing, &c. at wholesale prices. The colonist, on his part, agrees 
to tend faithfully his allotted portion of coffee-trees, to share the 
profits and expenses of the crop, and not to leave without giving 
one year's notice and paying his indebtedness (if any exist) for 
passage-money advanced. 

This contract is very simple, and is a safe investment for both 
contracting parties. 

During the year 1854, the result of the coffee-culture on the 
plantation of Ybecaba was one million six hundred thousand pounds, 
of which one-half of the expenses and profits belong to the 
laborers. 



A Novel Bridge. 



411 



I visited the cottages of the colonists, about one mile from the 
manor. As I passed along, I was constantly saluted by cheerful 
Swiss and German workmen, some of whom were surrounded by 
noisy and joyous fair-headed children, who capered about with as 
much life and glee as if at the foot of the Hartz or in the valleys 
of the Oberland. 

Before reaching, the hamlet, (of which I present a sketch drawn 
by a young German at Ybecaba,) I crossed a small stream upon a 




bridge of a novel and cheap construction, which in its simplicity 
commends itself to every settler in Australia or Western America, 
where proprietors are many but laborers are few. It may be 
styled a "self-made" bridge. A number of logs are fastened longi- 
tudinally in the water, leaving, of course, spaces between them. 
On the top of these are thrown large branches, and then finer 
brush; and on the surface is placed a certain quantity of clay and 



412 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



loose dirt. A portion of the brook higher up is turned aside by a 
ditch through the light soil, and conducted over the log and brash- 
heap. In a few days this little side-stream has borne down an 
immense burden of red soil across the bridge, and has rendered 
the superstructure as firm as the road, wmile beneath, through 
branches and logs, the "river runs merrily by." The ditch, the 
water through it having finished its work, is closed, and a solid 
passage-way is thus obtained.* 

At the hamlet I found an intelligent head-agent, who kept the 
books of the colonists, and gave to the latter orders for every pound 
of bacon, yard of cloth, &c. Without his signature they could not 
obtain these articles at the manor storehouse. 

The larger portion of the colonists w T ere Koman Catholics; but 
I did not leave before every opportunity was afforded for their 
obtaining the Scriptures, both in Portuguese and German. 

Some of the colonists have thriven remarkably, having in five 
years' time gained five and seven thousand milreis, ($2500 and 
$3500.) The state of morals was certainly most creditable when 
comparing it with that of the countries whence they came. From 
1847 to '55, (the period of my visit,) among several hundred 
laborers of the humblest classes of German and Swiss, not an 
illegitimate child had been born. The Vergueiros encourage the 
marriage-institution as not only essential to purity, but for the 
interest of both planter and colonist. There are now about one 
thousand European workmen, including children. 

Ybecaba is a small plantation, containing but five or six square 
miles; but near by the V.s possess ufazenda not so well cultivated, 
but three times as large. At Angelica they own a new plantation, 
well adapted to the culture of coffee, which is twelve leagues in 
circumference. Hitherto blacks have been employed upon this 
large estate; but it is the intention of the proprietor to introduce, 



* In some of the mining-districts there is a simple and philosophical mode of 
splitting off the side of clayey mountains. Wells are dug into them, and, during 
the heavy rains, these, by means of gutters, become filled with water. The hydro- 
static pressure of the liquid columns forces off masses from the faces of mountains 
which would require hundreds of men for months to accomplish with the mattock 
and shovel. 



Condition of the Brazilian Colonies. 



413 



as soon as possible, free white laborers. I demanded of Sr. Luiz 
Vergueiro if it were mere philanthropy which prompted their 
efforts to introduce free labor: he replied, most promptly and de- 
cidedly, "We find the labor of a man who has a will of his own, 
and interests at stake, vastly more profitable than slave-labor." 

I could not but contrast the happy and cheerful condition of 
these colonists with the discouraged residents in the colony Donna 
Francisca. Though the Germans of Petropolis have every advantage 
of a nearness to market, and a growing city which has many wants 
to be supplied, yet the condition of the colonists at Ybecaba is 
infinitely superior if we consider the prosperity of the individual. 
The settlement at Leopoldina in Eio Grande do Sul has been the 
only truly successful Imperial colony, that of Petropolis being under 
the Governo Provincial. By the report of the Minister of the Em- 
pire for 1854-55, 1 ascertain that, out of seventeen colonies founded 
by the Imperial Government and by the provincial authorities, 
only four can be called prosperous; and of but two can it be said, 
"muito prosper a" The remainder are placed under the heads "not 
prosperous," "confounded with the population," "in decay," or 
"no information of its condition." Of the twenty-four private 
efforts at colonization, twenty-one are reported prosperous, nearly 
all of which have been founded since 1852, and more or less on the 
Yergueiro system. These colonies are in five provinces, and the 
excellence of the "plan-Yergueiro" consists in this, — viz. : its ap- 
plicability throughout the Empire on a great or small scale. Nine 
of the twenty-one senhors have each less than one hundred and 
twenty colonists, thus enabling the small proprietors to have, to a 
certain extent, the advantages of the larger landholders. Slavery 
(since the vigorous measures of 1850 were adopted against the 
slave-trade) has been doomed in Brazil. The Emperor and his 
Government are against this inhuman traffic, and the popular voice 
sustains them. The comparative ease with which a slave may 
obtain his freedom, and, by the possession of property, the rights 
of citizenship, will probably in twenty years put an end to servi- 
tude in this South American Empire. There must then be a supply 
of laborers from some other source than Africa. The mother- 
country, the Portuguese islands, Germany, and Switzerland will 
furnish that supply. Individual emigration as it exists from Europe 



414 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



to the United States can never succeed in Brazil on a large scale, 
owing to the peculiar structure of the Government; but the system 
inaugurated by Sr. Yergueiro & Sons is capable of indefinite exten- 
sion, while it protects the interests of both employer and em- 
ployee. Though there may be individual instances of oppression 
under a powerful and unjust proprietor, yet, as a whole, this plan 
will in the end prove a great blessing to Brazil and to the poorer 
classes of Europe. Already the Swabian, the Eribourgeois, the 
Yaudois, the Yalaisan, the Portuguese, and the Ilheo, look up like 
men in their new homes : they have no longer that appearance — 
too common in their native districts — of the crushed and cringing 
peasant who has no thought beyond the pinching want of to-day. 
As we look upon their joyous faces, we can readily believe what 
Sr. Jose Yergueiro said to me at Santos : — " They breathe here the 
air of freedom, sir, — such as they never snuffed in their native 
land." 

Under such a system, they have not the pressing cares of the 
pioneer; they are not the victims of speculating land-companies, 
and, at the same time, though enjoying comparative ease, their 
own interest keeps them from indolence. At a year's notice, when 
they have learned, under the tuition and protection of a powerful 
Brazilian, the cultivation of tropical productions, they can leave 
and " set up" for themselves if they choose. They can easily 
become naturalized; their children grow up as citizens attached 
to the soil; and, if nothing untoward occurs, Brazil, in half a 
century, will have a host of small proprietors infusing a new life- 
blood into the body politic. Under her mild Government there 
will spring up a more hardy people, who will be the subduers of 
the virgin forests and the pioneers in the vast, fertile, healthy, 
but almost unexplored regions of Parana, Goyaz, Mato Grosso, and 
Minas-Geraes, where the head-waters of the Amazon and the La 
Plata are interlaced or separated by a narrow dividing-ridge. 

To the speedy and sure accomplishment of this desired consum- 
mation, Brazil should still more modify her laws, so that there may 
be every facility for the introduction of colonists. Already the 
Empire has done away with some of the most objectionable fea- 
tures; but much remains to be done. Every obstacle should be 
removed, and the Government, by a general act, should proclaim 



Hopes for the Future. 



415 



its policy as liberal in all the initiatory steps for the newly-arrived 
as it is generous in regard to the holding of property by foreigners. 
Such measures would promote immigration, and in time a new 
population would grow up in this beautiful country, worthy of its 
vast resources. Let a pure gospel be in the hearts of such a 
people, and Brazil, in the future, will be a land in every respect 
unsurpassed on the face of the earth. 

Sr. Vergueiro and his sons are making constant improvements in 
modes of cultivation, and are studying the best manner of applying 
Northern labor and skill to tropical agriculture. I before men- 
tioned the workshops of the mechanics, where agricultural imple- 
ments in wood and iron are turned out in a style equal to any 
thing of the kind made in Europe or North America. Among the 
various machines for facilitating the preparation of coffee for 
market was one — the invention of Senator Vergueiro — which 
cleans no lesj3 than thirty-two thousand pounds of coffee per 
diem. 

We had been kindly invited to dine at the mansion-house, and it 
is unnecessary that I should particularize the component parts of 
a most sumptuous dinner. Suffice it to say that the "fat of the 
land" was there in profusion, and that the "feast of reason," &c. 

was well supplied by Sr. Luiz V., Dr. , and the intelligent 

padre, who conversed fluently in both French and German. 

The doctor and myself left Ybecaba at a late hour, and, after a 
pleasant ride by moonlight, reached Limeira. 



CHAPTER XXII. 



A NEW DISEASE THE CULTURE OF CHINESE TEA IN BRAZIL MODUS OPERANDI — 

THE DECEIVED CUSTOM-HOUSE OFFICIALS — PROBABLE EXTENSION OF TEA-CULTURE 

IN SOUTH AMERICA HOMEWARD BOUND MY COMPANION SENHOR JOSE AND A 

LITTLE DIFFICULTY WITH HIM CALIFORNIA AND THE MUSICAL INNKEEPER 

EARLY START AND THE STAR-SPANGLED BANNER — THE SENHORES BROTERO OF 

S. PAULO FOURTH OF JULY INAUGURATED IN AN ENGLISH FAMILY — "YANKEE 

DOODLE" ON THE PLAINS OF YPIRANGA LAME AND IMPOTENT CONCLUSION 

ASTRONOMY UNDER DIFFICULTIES DELIVERANCE — RETURN TO RIO DE JANEIRO. 

The next day after my visit to Ybecaba, I was employed in 

obtaining snch information from Dr. as one would be sure to 

find in a man of intelligence and observation who bad long resided 
in the country. I made many inquiries in regard to the various 
diseases of Brazil, and the remarks of this experienced physician 
confirmed my own oft-repeated opinion that few portions of the 
world could boast of so great a salubrity as this Empire. 

Probably no tropical country has been so exempt from a general 
disease as Brazil. It has only been within the last five years that 
the yellow fever invaded these healthy realms, and not until 1855 
has that dreadful scourge, the cholera, touched these shores. The 
ravages of these two devouring pestilences — both of which were 
confined to a narrow belt of the sea-coast — have been greatly over- 
estimated. During the prevalence of the cholera in the vicinity 
of Bahia, I was in that city of one hundred and twenty thousand 
inhabitants. I have seen it gravely stated in American and Eng- 
lish journals that so great was the mortality and the panic there 
that there were not enough people left to bury the dead ! 'Now, 
if the perpetrators of this horrible fiction had given the truth, 
they would have described a great deal of sickness among the 
blacks and much panic among the whites j that, out of a provincial 
population of nearly a million, 9,490 died from all diseases in the 
416 



A Kew Disease. 



417 



political year 1855-6, the majority of cases being cholera, but that 
business went on as usual. I was in Rio de Janeiro during several 
yellow-fever seasons, and though — from personal knowledge, by 
visiting the hospitals and examining the list of the deceased — I 
ascertained that a truly large proportion of the foreigners in the 
city did fall before the terrific disease, yet, as a general thing, 
there were about as many natives that died of consumption each 
day as of the yellow fever. 

Though no general pestilence has swept through the land, yet 
there are peculiar diseases in different parts of the Empire. In 
some of the mountainous districts there exists the same swelling 
of the throat and neck which is known in Switzerland as goitre. 
The Brazilians call it jpapos; and Yon Martius says that he found 
in the valley of the Parahiba Elver instances of this swelling larger 
than are seen in Europe, but not accompanied with the melancholy 
and idiotic appearance so often combined with the goitre in Switzer- 
land, Germany, and Northern Italy. 

At Limeira I became aware of a new disease, which, like the 
goitre, seems to be confined to certain localities. I was sitting in 

the office of Dr. , conversing with him in regard to Brazil, 

when I observed a Portuguese, about sixty years of age, enter, and 
demand, with great earnestness, if he thought that he could live. 
Soon after, a middle-aged Brazilian came, and, seeming to cling to 
the words of the physician as tenaciously as to a divine oracle, 
made nearly the same interrogatory. Neither of these men ap- 
peared in ill health, and, if I had not heard them state that they 
had great difficulty in swallowing, I would have considered them 
in a perfect sanitary condition. Upon inquiry , I ascertained from 
the doctor that these men had a disease which is widely prevalent 
in some portions of Interior Brazil, but he has never seen a notice 
of it in airy medical work whatever. The Brazilians call it mat 
de engasgo. The first indication of its existence is a difficulty in 
swallowing. The patient can swallow dry substances better than 
fluids. Wine or milk can be drunken with more facility than 
water; still, both are attended with difficulty. To take thin broth 
is an impossibility. In some cases fluids have been conveyed to 
the stomach in connection with some solid. The person thus 
affected appears to be in good health, but in five or six years death 



418 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



ensues from actual starvation. The sufferings of such a one was 
described to me as most horrible. 

Some physicians in the province of San Paulo think it a paralysis 

of the oesophagus; but Dr. , who has seen many cases of mal de 

engasgo, inclines to the belief that it is a thickening of the mucous 
membrane. As the oesophagus is in general the least affected by 
disease of any part of the body, and is very rarely paralyzed, he 
cannot believe that so wide-spread a disease as the mal de engasgo 
can proceed from paralysis. Living as he does in the interior, it 
is difficult to obtain a subject for dissection, or permission to make 
a post-mortem examination, and therefore he has had no oppor- 
tunity for a thorough investigation of the disease; but it is his 
intention to do so as soon as facilities present themselves, and then 
to lay the result before the medical world. He informed me that 
he was called to visit a man suffering from this malady eighty 
miles from Limeira, and to his astonishment he found in the same 
room no less than nine j)ersons similarly affected. As yet no 
remedy has been found. The full extent of country over which 
the mal de engasgo prevails is not known ; but to this physician's 
certain knowledge it exists from Limeira (two hundred miles from 
the sea-coast) to Goyaz, — a distance of four hundred miles. It is 
not found upon the coast; and a journey to the sea-board always 
benefits the afflicted patient. In 1855 I communicated the above 
facts in regard to the mal de engasgo to the New York "Journal 
of Commerce." A few days after its publication, a physician of 
Brooklyn suggested, in the columns of the same journal, that 
there might be erysipelas at the bottom of the disease. He gave 
as an instance one of his own patients who suffered from symp- 
toms like those described, and which finally resulted in the 
discovery of erysipelas. I know that one case of similarity in a 
disease does not prove a general rule : still, the subject is worthy 
of investigation. 

One topic of our conversation possesses a far more general in- 
terest than the nature of a new disease : it was the cultivation 
of the Chinese tea in Brazil. 

There is probably no other country where the culture of this 
Asiatic shrub has been so successful away from its native region. 
The Portuguese language is the only European tongue which has 



The Culture of Chinese Tea. 



419 



preserved the Chinese name (cha) for tea ; and as the stranger at 
Eio de Janeiro and other towns of the Empire passes the vendas, 
he is always sure to see a printed card suspended, announcing Cha 
da India and Cha Nagional: the former is the designation given to 
tea from China, and the latter to the same production grown in 
Brazil. 

In 1810, the first plants of this exotic were introduced at Eio de 
Janeiro, and its cultivation for a time was chiefly confined to the 
Botanical Garden near the capital and to the royal farm at Santa 
Cruz. In order to secure the best possible treatment for the tea, 
which it was anticipated would soon flourish so as to supply the 
European market, the Count of Linhares, Prime Minister of Por- 
tugal, procured the immigration of several hundred colonists, not 
from the mingled population of the coast of China, but from the 
interior of the Celestial Empire, — persons acquainted with the 
whole process of training the tea-plant and of preparing tea. 

This was probably the first colony from Asia that ever settled in 
the New World, of which we have authentic records. The colonists, 
however, were not contented with their expatriation : they did not 
prosper, and they have now disappeared. Owing in part, doubt- 
less, to characteristic differences in the soil of Brazil from that of 
China, and perhaps as much to imperfect means of preparing the 
leaf when grown, the Chinese themselves did not succeed in pro- 
ducing the most approved specimens of tea. The enthusiasm of 
anticipation, being unsustained by experiment, soon died away; 
and near the city of Eio de Janeiro the cultivation of tea has 
dwindled down to be little more than an exotic grown on a large 
scale at the Botanical Gardens. 

As a Government matter it was a failure; but several Paulista 
planters took up the culture, and, though they encountered years 
of discouragement, they have lived to see it, though as yet in its 
infancy, one of the most flourishing and remunerative branches of 
Brazilian agriculture. 

Between Santos and San Paulo, near San Bernardo, I saw large 
and productive tea-plantations. The manner of its culture differs 
but little from that adopted in China. Tea is raised from the seed, 
which, being preserved in brown sugar, can be transported to any 
portion of the country. These little tea-balls are planted in beds, 



420 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



and then, in the manner of cabbage-plants, are transported to the 
field and placed five feet apart. The shrubs are kept very clean 
by the hoe, or by the plough, which, though a recent introduc- 
tion, has on some plantations been eminently successful for this 
purpose. 

The shrubs are never allowed to attain a height of more than 
four feet; and the leaves are considered ready for picking the 
third year after planting. The culture, the gathering, and the 
preparation of tea are not difficult, and children are profitably 
and efficiently employed in the various modes of arranging it for 
market. The apparatus used is very simple, consisting of — 1. 
Baskets, in which the leaves are deposited when collected; 2. Carved 
framework, on which they are rolled, one by one; 3. Open ovens, 
or large metallic pans, in which the tea is dried by means of a fire 
beneath. Women and children gather the leaves and carry them 
to the ovens, where slave-men are engaged in keeping up the fire, 
stirring, squeezing, and rolling the tea, — which operations are all 
that it requires before packing it in boxes for home-sale or for ex- 
portation to the neighboring provinces. 

The tea-plant is a hardy shrub, and can be cultivated in almost 
any portion of Brazil, though it is perhaps better adapted to the 
South, where frosts prevail, and which it resists. If left to itself in 
the tropics, it will soon run up to a tree. The coffee-tree requires 
rich and new soil, and a warm climate unknown to frosts; but the 

tea-plant will flourish in any soil. Dr. , who visited various 

portions of China, is of the opinion that the cha can be grown in 
any part of the United States from Pennsylvania to the Mexican 
Gulf. There are not many varieties of the plant, as is often sup- 
posed, black and green teas being merely the leaves of the same 
tree obtained at different seasons of the year. The flavor is some- 
times varied, as that of wines from the same species of grape grown 
on different soils. The plant is not deciduous, as in China, and in 
Brazil is gathered from March to July, which in the Northern 
hemisphere would correspond to the interval between September 
and January. 

I was informed that several million pounds are now annually 
prepared in the provinces of San Paulo and Minas-Geraes, and its 
culture is on the increase. 



The Deceived Custom-House Officials. 421 

Some years ago the tea-planters were greatly discouraged; for 
the cha was badly prepared, was sold too new, and hence the de- 
mand did not increase. But, since a greater experience in its cul- 
ture and preparation, a better article for this favorite beverage 
has met with corresponding encouragement. Formerly the culti- 
vators said that, if they could obtain sixteen cents per pound 
wholesale, it would be as remunerative as coffee. In 1855, twenty 
cents for the poorer article could be obtained; and for superior 
qualities — the greater portion of the crop — forty cents per pound 
wholesale was readily commanded. The demand for it is constantly 
increasing. When rightly prepared, it is not inferior to that im- 
ported from China. Much, indeed, of the tea sold in the province 
of San Paulo as cha da India has merely made the sea-voyage from 
Santos to Rio de Janeiro, and there, after being packed in Chinese 
boxes, is sent back to the Paulistas as the genuine aromatic leaf 
from the Celestial Empire. I have seen foreigners in Brazil who 
esteemed themselves connoisseurs in tea deceived by the best cha 
nagional. 

A few years ago, Mr. John Rudge, of the province of San Paulo, 
sent some tea from his plantation as a present to his relatives in 
Rio de Janeiro. This was prepared very nicely, each separate leaf 
having been rolled by the slaves between the thumb and forefinger 
until it looked like small shot. It was thus invested with a foreign 
appearance, packed in small Chinese tea-caddies, and shipped at 
Santos for the capital. When the caddies arrived, they were seized 
at the custom-house as an attempt to defraud the revenue. It was 
on the other hand insisted that the boxes contained cha nagional, 
although, by some neglect, they did not appear upon the manifest. 
The parties to whom the tea had been sent offered to have it sub- 
mitted to inspection. The caddies were opened, and the custom- 
house officials screamed with triumph, adding to their former sus- 
picions the evidence of their senses, for the sight, the taste, the 
smell of the nicely-prepared tea proclaimed emphatically that it 
was cha da India, and that this was an attempt to defraud His 
Imperial Majesty's customs. It was not until letters were sent 
to Santos, and in reply the certificates of that provincial custom- 
house had been received, that the collectors at Rio were satisfied 
that there was no fraud, and that the province of San Paulo 



422 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



could produce as good tea as that brought around the Cape of 
Good Hope. 

A few years may suffice to show on the pages of the " Commerce 
and Navigation" of Great Britain and the United States that tea 
enters largely into the articles of importation from Brazil. Fifty 
years only have elapsed since the first cargo of coffee was shipped 
from Bio de Janeiro, and now Brazil supplies two-thirds of the coffee 
of the world. The revolution in Hayti was the commencement of 
a new era for the coffee of Brazil. 

In 1846, Dr. learned that several planters were about to 

root up their tea-shrubs. He besought them not to carry out their 
intention; "for," said he, "there is to be a great revolution in 
China, [in 1845 he had been informed in the Celestial Empire of the 
existence of the Triad Society,] and the price of teas will be sure to 
go up in a few years." The disheartened planters were encouraged 
to go on; and, only a short time before my visit to Limeira, one of 

these fazendeiros sent to Dr. several pounds of most excellent 

tea, at the same time assuring him (the doctor) of his deep grati- 
tude for having been prevented from the destruction of his planta- 
tion. He had found it exceedingly remunerative, and next year 
he intended to enter into more extensive operations. 

Throughout the world the use of tea is becoming as universal as 
that of coffee, and any continued disturbance in China must bring 
into prominent notice the tea-culture of Brazil. The recolte is now 
almost entirely used within the Empire; but the adaptability of the 
culture to almost any portion of the immense territory, and the 
ease by which it can be carried on, will doubtless, in a very brief 
period of time, fully develop this new source of national wealth. 

It was on the morning of the 2d of July that I set out on my 
departure from Limeira. I shall never forget the kindness and 
attention of my generous host, as well as the welcome reception at 
the model plantation of Senator Yergueiro. The few days spent 
there so pleasantly gave me fresh hopes and great encouragement 
for the future of Brazil.* 



* At Limeira I met a German engineer, who, with his accomplished Hamburgese 
wife, (to whom I am indebted for the sketches of the bridge at Cubitao and the 
German colonist's house) forms an agreeable society for Dr. . 



Homeward Bound. 



423 



The moon was shining brightly as I bade farewell to the two 
Americans and turned my face, for the first time in months, home- 
ward. I rode on in silence for half an hour, and was then over- 
taken by a "lone horseman" going in the direction of Campinas. 
We journeyed together, and at noon we halted near a clear, purling 
brook, and beneath the shade of lofty, overarching trees we 
shared a palatable dish of farinha de milho and fried chicken, which 
the good mulher of the Paulista had thoughtfully provided for his 
journey. I have often had occasion to speak of the kindness mani- 
fested by Brazilians of all classes toward strangers. The casual 
visitor to Brazil may, in the coast-cities, come in contact with 
shopkeeping Portuguese, whose fleecing propensities are not ex- 
celled by their brethren in London, Paris, or New York; and 
hence he may grandly generalize, in writing home to some obscure 
journal, that the Brazilians are the greatest set of rascals in the 
world. 

My travelling-companion was a carpenter, but was an adept in 
other crafts. My horse having cast two of his shoes, we turned to 
a road-side venda and purchased the necessary articles, which Sr. 
Tomaso attached with all the skill of a practised blacksmith. 

"We arrived at Campinas at four o'clock in the afternoon. I rode 
immediately to a hospederia; but the innkeeper seemed so perfectly 
indifferent as to custom that I bade him good-day, and sought the 
house of an English daguerreotypist, to whom I had letters. I 
had there a warm welcome, and the remainder of daylight was 
spent in rambling through this mud-built city in company with my 

host and an Italian physician to whom Dr. of Limeira had 

given me a note of introduction. I found much to interest me in 
the vast cathedral, built wholly of taipa: the carved woodwork 
(reminding one of old European cloisters) was by some mulatto 
sculptors from Bahia, and would have done credit to the best 
Italian artists in that line. The physician, who was a fierce Mal- 
thusian, entertained me with long-winded speeches in support of 
his favorite ideas, until I finally obtained a respite by leading him 
on to some wonderful snake-stories, which, though equalling in 
length (the stories, not the snakes) his Malthusian arguments, were 
far more interesting. 

I made arrangements at the house of a mule-dealer for an extra 



424 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



animal, which was to cany me forward on the morrow, as my 
Bosinante gave evidence of exhaustion. My newly-engaged quad- 
ruped was to be forthcoming, together with a guide, at sunrise. 
The sunrise came, and two succeeding hours; but neither biped 
nor quadruped appeared. Finally, when almost in despair, the 
long-expected pair clattered up to the door. The usual apologies 
of " mules in pasture," " difficult to catch/' &c, were offered and 
accepted. I soon perceived that my guide, instead of being a mere 
employee, was the son of the proprietor of the animals which we 
bestrode, — that he was not simply Jose, but Senhor Jose, — and that 
he was musical withal. I, however, feared that his position as a 
gentleman might somewhat interfere with the orders for increased 
speed which from time to time I might find it necessary to issue. 

We rode on through a finely-cultivated region, large coffee- 
plantations stretching on either hand as far as the eye could reach, 
variegated with fields of waving sugarcane or groups of umbra- 
geous forest-trees. JVIy companion enlivened the way by many 
songs to the Virgin and "to his mistress's eyebrows;" but, when 
the sun had sunk beneath the horizon, Sr. Jose concluded that we 
had journeyed far enough for one day, and proposed that we should 
tarry for the night at the house of a planter near by. To this I 
strongly objected, as my contract was that I should be carried for 
a specific sum to a specific point, several leagues farther on. I 
found that he was no underling, to be crossed in his wishes; and he 
firmly resisted. I would have left him where he was, without 
further ado; but, knowing the difficulty of separating animals that 
have travelled in company, I thought best to compromise the 
matter by stating that we would remain here for the night, in 
which case, however, the compensation would be several milreis 
less than if we had accomplished the contemplated number of 
leagues. But he was not the man for a compromise : he demanded 
full pay for short work. I then determined, at all hazards, to push 
on without him. I found my perverse horse as stubborn as Sr. Jose. 
I endeavored to start him in the direction of San Paulo: he, how- 
ever, was resolved to travel only toward the plantation. I spurred 
the mule, which I rode, after him, endeavoring to head off the 
horse : this I found a most difficult task. Sr. Jose, meantime, sat 
motionless as a statue, secretly and maliciously enjoying my un- 



Sr. Jose and a Little Difficulty. 



425 



successful efforts. I was fatigued beyond measure; but m}' will 
was unbroken, (as well as that of my horse,) and at last victory 
crowned my struggles, and, shouting to Sr. Jose u Boa noite," and 
triumphantly exclaiming, "I know how to protect my rights/' I 
trotted off, Kosinante in advance, toward San Paulo. 

Glancing over my shoulder, I beheld my guide still statue-like 
bestriding his mule, and comparable to any thing else than 
"Patience on a monument smiling at grief." Poetically speak- 
ing, he was planted. 

My way was now over a good road, though the overhanging 
forest obscured almost every ray of moonlight. My animal went 
gayly on, leaving, however, time enough for a few reflections. 
Among them the most prominent was, " Suppose Sr. Jose rides 
after me and salutes me in the back with his long knife," (faca de 
ponta,) which looked innocent enough when reposing in its sheath 
or cutting an orange. In all my travels in Brazil I never carried 
a weapon of any kind, and this was the first time that I felt the 
least suspicion that all might not be perfectly safe. In the midst 
of these reflections and thoughts about that long knife, I had 
accomplished more than a half-league, when I heard the rapid 
movement of mule-hoofs. Sr. Jose came thundering up the hill, 
and overtook me. Instead, however, of a knife-salutation or loud 
words, he instantly, in the mildest possible voice, suggested that 
we should change beasts, as he was very much fatigued, and that 
the difference in the gait of the two animals would be a relief 
to both parties. We went on as cosily as if nothing had happened, 
and at eleven o'clock rode up to the house of one Sr. Joao Baptista, 
whose residence was christened with the mellifluous and auriferous 
name of California. 

We soon aroused Sr. J. Baptista, who, while we sipped our cha, 
tinkled on his guitar " many a roundelay." I informed Sr. J. B. 
that the morrow was the dia da independencia in the United States, 
and requested the favor of " Hail Columbia." Sr. J. B. declined, on 
the ground of not possessing the tune in question; but (like a 
skilful shopkeeper who, destitute of a certain article, suggests to 
his customer another which, in his estimation, is equally good 
if not superior) Sr. J. B. proposed the Brazileiro, as being nearer 
the required national air than any thing else in his musical 



426 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



treasury. Its spirit-stirring strains were quivering in my ear 
when I thought how difficult it would be to find in the back- 
woods of Wisconsin or Minnesota ac- 
complished musicians such as Sr. J. B. 
or Sr. Jose, who was also skilled in the 
art. The Brazilians, as a whole, are a 
musical people, and sometimes, during 
a storm, when I have been plodding 
on in darkness, I have been cheered 
by the sound of a violin, a guitar, or 
by human voices singing sweetly in 
concert. 

I could sleep but little, and that 
little was rudely interupted, (whether 
by a giant beetle or a stealthy bat I 
was unable to ascertain;) and I jumped 
from my hard bed at two o'clock on 
the morning of the Fourth of July, 
and aroused the household of Sr. J. 
Baptista and the sleepers in the neighboring rancho by screaming 
at the top of my voice the " Star-spangled Banner." 

I bade my musical host and Senhor Jose adeos, mounted my 
Bosinante, and accomplished thirty -two miles before breakfast. 
My primary object had been to get to Santos, in order to take the 
steamer of the 6th for Bio; and a secondary consideration was to 
celebrate the Fourth of July at the house of Mr. E., the English 
engineer. 

I visited Senhor Brotero, the President of the Law-School for 
which San Paulo is so justly celebrated. Madame Brotero I found 
to be a countrywoman, from Boston. I also made the acquaintance 
of Senhor Brotero, Jr., to whom Senhor Octaviano, the accom- 
plished editor of the Correio Mercantile of Bio, had given me a letter 
of introduction. This gentleman, who bids fair to be one of the 
leading men of S. Paulo, possesses enlarged views, and has had the 
advantage of extended travel in Europe and North America. 

It was a pleasant forenoon that I spent with Mr. and Mrs. E. 
and Mr. C, inaugurating with them the celebration of my nation's 
birthday. Mr. C, however, threw something of a damper upon 




Fourth of July Inaugurated at S. Paulo. 427 

my patriotism by dropping in, "By-the-way, it is the birthday of 
George III.:" but chronology shows that Mr. C. was just four 
weeks out of the way, and his inappropriate remark in no manner 
marred the general harmony of the occasion. 

These and other friends pressed me not to hasten on at my rapid 
rate, thinking that thirty-two miles before breakfast was sufficient 
for one day : but my purpose was to make twenty miles that night 
before I sought repose. 

Senhor Coelho (the maitre-d' hotel) had procured for me a fine 
mule. He was a lithe animal, and when I mounted he bounded 




YANKEE DOODLE ON THE PLAINS OF YPIRANGA. 



away as though he had wings. He clattered through the streets, 
descended the hill, splashed through a little affluent of the La 
Plata, and, just as the sun was setting, went galloping gayly over 
the plains of Ypiranga. I soon came in sight of the pavilion 
erected over the spot where Dom Pedro I. exclaimed, Independencia 
ou Morte, and, being animated with Fourth-ofJuly sentiments, I 
gave vent to my patriotism in shouting, at a furious rate, "Yankee 
Doodle" and " Hail Columbia," to the no small amusement and 
astonishment of the sable passers-by. 

I reached San Bernardo and passed through its silent streets. 
The atmosphere was laden with the perfume of some sweet night- 



428 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



opening flower, and the sky overhead seemed joyous as my home- 
ward-bound spirits. My mule flagged not, and I was congratu- 
lating myself that my journey's end would soon be accomplished, 
when, to my surprise, the spirited beast whirled suddenly to the 
right, and plunged into the stable-yard adjoining a large white 
house. I kicked, and cuffed, and spurred, all to no purpose. The 
noise which I made aroused two poncho-clad Brazilians, who came 
toward me, thus discoursing in Portuguese: — "Yes, it is he." 
"'No; let me look again." " Yes, I am certain it is." These little 
monosyllables are as brief and as elliptical in the language of Lusi- 
tania as in the plainest Saxon, and could give me no clue to the 
meaning of the locutors. I was not, however, long left in doubt, 
for one of them approached, and thus addressed me: — " Senhor, 
isto emeu animal." ("This is my beast, sir.") Supposing that he 
was mildly accusing me of theft, I replied that he must be mis- 
taken, for I had hired that mule at S. Paulo. "It may be," he 
said; "but still he is mine." I then ascertained that the man was 
the proprietor of my long-eared steed, and that he (the proprietor) 
had preceded me in company with a number of law-students who 
were on their way to Santos. Peeling by this time much fatigued, 
and considering the stubbornness that had come over my quadruped, 
I asked if I might lodge at the house for the night. The other 
personage now turned up his sombrero and informed me that there 
was no room in the inn, but possibly I might be accommodated a 
mile farther on. I could not make; my mule stir; so these two 
benevolent individuals aided me in whipping and kicking the 
brute until he was fairly under way. I had, however, advanced 
only five hundred yards, when master long-ears pulls me up again, 
and no dint of beating, pulling, pounding, and tugging could make 
him budge a peg on the "forward march." He willingly beat a 
retreat, and the next moment I again stood before the white 
hospedaria from which I had been politely sent away a short time 
before. My two new-made acquaintances were soon by my side, 
and I once more begged for a room. One of them gave a negative 
answer; but, when I suggested that I was willing to pay a good 
price for my accommodations, he left me as if to consult some one. 
I then heard an emphatic female voice screech out, "JVao, Senhor." 
This reply was brought to me, and I sent back word that I had 



Lame and Impotent Conclusion. 



429 



letters from Senator Vergueiro, showing that I was a respectable 
person. It was of no avail, for at each fresh attempt to move the 
tender mercies of the woman to whom belonged that voice, I re- 
ceived a more emphatic " Nao, senhor." My last resort was to 
claim, in "the sacred name of Brazilian hospitality, only room 
enough upon their floor for a stranger who is here stopped con- 
traiy to his own will." The reply was the same, "Nao, senhor." 
"Then," said I, "it is an outrageous shame. I have travelled 
through a number of your provinces, and have mingled much with 
the rich and the poor, but this is the first time that I have been 
unable to obtain shelter. Here I am, compelled before a large 
house to pass the night in the road." My appeals and denun- 
ciations were equally 
unsuccessful; so I sat 
down upon a curb- 
stone, holding the 
bridle of my obsti- 
nate and tired ani- 
mal. Poor fellow ! his 
fatigue was not equal 
to mine. I had ridden 
since morning nearly 
fifty miles, and had 
spent seven hours in 
San Paulo. Three or 
four days had. elapsed 
since I had had a com- 
fortable sleep, and the 
night-air was keen for 
Brazil, though it was 
as balmy as a May 
evening in the North- 
ern hemisphere. The 
body, however, was 
not suffering so much 
as the mind. I felt 

this inhospitality to the quick. I sat with my head bowed down 
upon my left hand, turning my eyes from time to time toward the 





ASTRONOMY UNDER DIFFICULT CIRCUMSTANCES. 



430 



Brazil axd the Brazilians. 



stars and the waning moon. It was studying astronomy under 
difficult circumstances, so that I did not make much progress. 

While thinking of my condition, and feeling that it was worse, 
and my treatment more outrageous, than when, a mere innocent 
student-traveller, I was once taken prisoner on suspicion by the 
Austrians in Lombardy, and led by an armed soldier through the 
streets of Pavia, I was aroused from my reflections by an old 
negress, who said to me, "Come here, senhor." I followed her to 
a comfortable room, where she left me with a nice cup of tea and 
doce accompaniments. My mule was cared for, as well as myself, 
and when the morning sun awoke me I found that I was to have 
as my fellow-travellers the young law-students. I ascertained 
that this house was kept by a respectable Brazilian widow, who 
was making a large fortune by letting mules for riding or for 
the transportation of baggage, and that whoever employed her 
animals in S. Paulo would be entertained gratis at this otherwise 
inhospitable hospedaria. It so happened that the students and 
myself were not aware of this regulation, and had hired our mules 
of another man, who had guided them as far as this house. Here 
the young "legals" insisted on stopping. The Donna da Casa 
refused them accommodation, and they had taken possession vi et 
armis. It may be that, owing to senhora being somewhat embit- 
tered by such proceedings, had refused me when I pleaded the name 
of Senator Yergueiro and Brazilian hospitality. For assuredly 
there was plenty of room, when we consider that there were eight 
unoccupied beds in the house. It may be, also, that the senhora 
was suspicious of a stranger travelling alone at that hour of the 
night, as she had been deceived a few weeks before by an indi- 
vidual who pretended to have letters from a nobleman, but who 
turned out to be an unmitigated scoundrel. I was (justly, as I 
thought) indignant for a time, and entertained an idea that it 
would be right that the public should know through the Bio 
journals of such treatment to an estrangeiro ; but the more I 
reflected upon it, I became rather ashamed of my indignation. I 
had travelled thousands of miles in Brazil, and this was the first 
experience of the bitter; and how foolish it would be to lay it 
before the public ! The widow had a perfect right to make such 
regulations as she chose concerning her household, and an Anglo- 



Eeturn to Rio de Janeiro. 



431 



American who is firm for the independence of the home-castle is 
assuredly the last man who ought to complain. So I dismissed 
the whole subject, and have never recurred to it since, except to 
indulge in a laugh at my own ludicrous position in the stable- 
yard, and the tableau of the stubborn mule and the curbstone. 
Thus ended my Fourth of July, 1855. 

The next day I arrived with my student-friends at Santos, and, 
after enjoying for a few days more the hospitality of Casa Vergueiro, 
I steamed away in the comfortable old Paraense for Eio de J aneiro. 
From San Sebastian to the Sugar-Loaf we were pitched about in 
fine style by an angry sea; but the sun shone forth brilliantly as 
on the following day we lay under the guns of Yillegagnon, and 
the glorious panorama of the magnificent bay, sparkling in the 
freshness of morning, lost none of its splendor by comparison 
with the beautiful scenes which I had witnessed in Southern 
Brazil, and which I afterward found unequalled in the provinces 
of the North. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 



THE BRAZILIAN NORTH EXTENT OP THE EMPIRE — THE FALLS OF ITAMARITY 

GIGANTIC FIG-TREE — THE KEEL-BILL — A PLANTATION IN MINAS-GERAES — PETER 
PARLEY IN BRAZIL SWEET LEMONS BARONIAL STYLE — THE PADRE VESPER- 
HOURS THE PLANTATION-ORCHESTRA THE WHITE ANTS OBEDIENT TO THE 

CHURCH THE GREAT ANT-EATER — THE PACA — THE MUSICAL CART — THE MINES 

AND OTHER RESOURCES OF MINAS-GERAES — COFFEE : ITS HISTORY AND CULTURE 

THE PROVINCE OF GOYAZ STINGLESS BEES AND SOUR HONEY — MATO GROSSO 

LONG RIVER-ROUTE TO THE ATLANTIC A NEW THOROUGHFARE — LIEUTENANT 

THOMAS J. PAGE THE SURVEY OF THE LA PLATA AND ITS AFFLUENTS FIRST 

AMERICAN STEAMER AT CORUMBA STEAMBOAT-NAVIGATION ON THE PARAGUAY 

OFFICERS OF THE AMERICAN NAVY DR. KANE AND LIEUTENANT STRAIN 

DIAMOND AND GOLD MINES THE HINDERERS OF PROGRESS — THE DIFFERENCE 
IN THE RESULTS FROM DIAMONDS AND COFFEE. 






Now to the North : not 
the Boreal North, with 
hoary beard and glisten- 
ing spears and crunch- 
ing ice-batteries, — but a 
genial, sunny, laughing, 
flowery, Austral North. 
We on the hither side 
of the equator are so 
wedded to experience, 
that it is difficult to con- 



ceive of a North where 



"The fields are florid in eternal prime," 




ing wilds, 

And fruitful deserts, worlds of solitude ; 
Where the sun smiles and seasons teem in vain." 



"And traverse realms unknown and bloom- 



and where mighty rivers, with 
unabated force, sweep onward, — 



THE M1NEIRO. 



432 




CASCADE OF ITAMARITY, NEAR PETROPOLIS. 



Extent of tiie Empire. 



433 



I could never become accustomed to look for the sun and 
the equator in the direction which all past experience told me 
was the region of stern winter. I could not be reconciled to 
the idea that the southern front of my Brazilian residence was 
the coldest side, although I knew that reason and geography 
informed me that that portion of my house looked toward the 
Falkland Islands and the unexplored snow-continent of the 
Antarctic zone. 

But to the Brazilian North ! If by land, it will be many months 
of painful journeys up mountains and hills, through dense forests 
and jungles, over wide campos and broad rivers, before we reach 
the Serra Paearanua, which divides Brazil and Venezuela. I have 
not seen the record of a single traveller who has ever accomplished 
this long terrestrial route. Eschwege, Eodriguez, Ferreira, bat- 
terer, Mawe, Prince Maximilian, Spix and Yon Martius, St. Hilaire, 
Langsdorf, Pohl, Burchell, Gardner, Lieutenant Strain, the expedi- 
tion under Castlenau, and Wallace, have traversed large districts 
of Brazil; while — not to mention earlier fluvial explorations — 
Mawe, Smyth, Edwards, Herndon, Gibbon, and Wallace (the most 
thorough explorer) have examined the Amazon, and Lieutenant 
Page has the honor of being the first scientific investigator of the 
La Plata and some of its tributaries. Still, it is hazarding nothing 
to say that the greater portion of this extensive Empire has only 
been trodden by the foot of the wild Indian, or, at long intervals, 
by the most adventurous of the Portuguese traders. It is difficult 
for us to comprehend even the dry tables of distances : how much 
more inconceivable the toil and the almost insurmountable obstacles 
to be endured and overcome in a vast country with a sparse popu- 
lation, and, in certain portions, no roads save the paths of cattle 
and the tracks of the tapir ! The distance, on a straight line 
drawn from the head- waters of the river Parima, on the north, to 
the southern shores of the Lagoa Mirim, in Eio Grande do Sul, is 
greater than that from Boston to Liverpool. It is farther from 
Pernambuco to the western boundary which separates Peru and 
Brazil, than by a direct route from London, across the Continent, 
to Egypt. Brazil has neither been explored nor surveyed, and its 
full extent cannot be accurately ascertained ; but, according to the 
best calculations made in 1845 for the Diccionario Geographico 

28 



434 Brazil and the Brazilians. 




Brazileiro, the Empire contains within its borders j3,004,460 square 
miles. The United States, by the latest computations of the Topo- 



graphical Bureau at "Washington, has an area of 2,936,166 square 
miles. Brazil is therefore 68,294 square miles larger than the 
whole territory of the Union : in other words, we should have 
to add to the possessions of the United States an area equal to that 
of the adjacent States of New York, Connecticut, Massachusetts, 
and Yermont, to make it of the same dimensions as the land of the 
Southern Cross. European Bussia possesses an area of 2,142,504 
square miles, and the remainder of Europe 1,687,626. It is by 
these figures and comparisons that we may arrive at an approxi- 
mate idea of the vastness of Brazil. 

It is not, however, its extent which should attract our attention 
so much as the fact that no portion of the globe is so available for 
cultivation and for the sustentation of man. 

It has already been seen that the internal resources of this 
Empire are commensurate with its favored position and its wide 
extent. It is neither the gold of its mines nor the diamonds that 
sparkle in the beds of its inland rivers that constitute the greatest 
sources of its available wealth. Although nature has bestowed 
upon Brazil the most precious minerals, yet she has been still more 
prodigal in the gift of vegetable riches. Embracing nearly five 
degrees north of the equator, the whole latitude of the southern 
torrid and ten degrees of the southern temperate zone, and 
stretching its longitude from Cape St. Augustine, (the easternmost 
point of the continent,) across the mountains of its own interior, to 
the very foot of the Andes, its soil and its climate offer an asylum 
to almost every valuable plant. In addition to numberless varieties 
of indigenous growth, there is scarcely a production of either India 
which might not be naturalized in great perfection under or near 
the equator; while its interior uplands, and its soil in the Far 
South, welcome many of the fruits, the grains, and the hardier 
vegetables of Europe. 

Every year this Empire is becoming more developed ; yet it will 
require two centuries of its present progress to bring it to an equal 
position with the United States. The signs of the times are, how- 
ever, that Brazil will not go on at the snail' s-pace which charac- 
terized her up to the abolition of the slave-trade; and the internal 



The Falls of Itamarity. 



435 



improvements auspiciously begun under D. Pedro II. will rapidly 
unfold the resources of the country. 

Of the twenty provinces, four only are inland, — viz. : Minas- 
Geraes, Goyaz, Mato Grosso, and Amazonas, (sometimes called 
Alto Amazonas.) It is in Mato Grosso ("dense forest") and 
Goyaz that the head-waters of the Amazon and the La Plata have 
their origin, within a few miles of each other; while on the bor- 
ders of Minas-Geraes the sources of the San Francisco, the Tocan- 
tine, and the La Plata take their rise from the same mountain- 
ridge. 

The usual route to the fertile province of 3Iinas-Geraes is through 
Petropolis, and the traveller thither should not fail to make a little 
detour and visit one of the prettiest cascades in Brazil. Following 
for a few miles the highroad to the Minas, we turn to our right, 
and there, among the dells formed by the Serra da Estrella, we 
find the Falls of Itamarity. The name, in the Guarani language, 
signifies " shining stones," or "the rock which shines;" so called, 
doubtless, from the glittering appearance of the large mass of rock, 
the face of which is worn smooth by the water. Ita means '''stone 
or rock." This cascade is composed of three distinct falls, formed 
by a stream of small size unless after heavy rains. The charm of 
this lovely spot consists in the surrounding woods and the mur- 
muring waters ; so that we may truly say that 

" the gush of springs 
And fall of lofty fountains, and the bend 
Of stirring branches, and the bud which brings 
The swiftest thought of beauty, here extend, 
Mingling, and made by Love unto one mighty end." 

Garlands of parasites enfold the old trees in their graceful arms, 
and bands of verdant climbers depend from the highest boughs to 
the very ground. The torrent has undermined the banks and 
prostrated the trees that stood near the edges, and they now lie in 
wild disorder across the bed of the stream, mingled here and there 
with huge stones brought down by the force of the water. 

The bridge represented in the engraving was improvised for the 
occasion of the visit by Sir W. Gore Ouseley, formerly British 
Minister to Brazil. Such crossings are easily formed by felling a 



436 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



few trees and binding them together with the supple vines that 
abound. Nature soon heals her wounds and clothes them with 
parasites, so that in a few weeks the artificial structure seems like 
a work of her own hand. 

The road from Petropolis to Barbacena is exceedingly pic- 
turesque, — sometimes winding along the side of a mountain which 




A BRAZILIAN MOUNTAIN-ROAD. 



gives extensive views of plains beyond, and sometimes in deep 
valleys along the banks of babbling streams. Long troops of 
mules on their way to Estrella are constantly passing; but — to 
show the wildness of the region notwithstanding frequent vil- 
lages and fazendas — we were startled every few moments by 
flocks of wild parrots, and could hear in the trees the chattering 
of monkeys. 

At a place called Padre Correas, not far from Petropolis, is a 
celebrated wild-fig tree, whose branches extend over a circum- 



Giant Fig-Tree and the Jacaranda. 437 



ference of four hundred and eighty feet, and four thousand persons, 
it is computed, can stand under its shade at noonday. Near by, 
on the height east of the hamlet, can also be seen two rows of the 
Brazilian pine, (Araucaria Braziliana,) so well known in the large 
conservatories of Europe and the United States. A sketch of one 
of these tufted pines is in the left background of the colored en- 
graving of the spoonbill. When one hundred miles farther in the 
interior, I saw many jacaranda (rosewood) trees. Their resemblance 
to the common locust of the United States is very striking. There 
are a number of species of the jacaranda, varying in tint from a 
deep rich brown to a beautiful violet. The latter kind I have 
never seen north of the equator, save in small specimen-pieces; 
but, at the Fazenda do Governo, Dr. Joaquin A. P. Da Cunha, the 
amiable proprietor, showed me, in his establishment for making 
sugar, a beam, fifty feet long and three feet in diameter, of the 
violet-tinted jacaranda. It had performed the menial office of a 
connecting-beam for fifty years, and its exterior was dusty ; but, 
on chipping it, I found it to be of the most beautiful violet. The 
wood of Dr. Da Cunha's pig-pen consisted of boards and sticks of 
rosewood : but let none of my readers imagine a highly -polished 
piano or a splendid centre-table; for exposure to the atmosphere 
renders the jacaranda as plebeian in appearance as the commonest 
weather-beaten pine. The rosewood-tree is cut down, deprived 
of its branches, and conveyed to market generally by floating it 
to some seaport-town, whence it is shipped to North America and 
Europe. It is of exceeding hardness and durability, — cog-wheels 
made of this wood lasting longer than those constructed from any 
other ligneous substance. The United States annually purchase 
of Brazil eighty thousand dollars' worth of rosewood. 

As I was journeying in the province of Minas, I observed a flock 
of birds of which I had seen the same species at the foot of the Organ 
Mountains, and which I then took to be the common blackbirds so 
well known in North America; but a closer inspection showed them 
to possess a bill of remarkable thickness. They had a clear and 
musical whistle, and I afterward discovered them to be the ani, — 
a genus of scansorial birds found only in Tropical America. They 
are sometimes called the keel-bill. They live in flocks, and it is 
said that they have practical communism among them, many pairs 



438 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



using the same nest, which is built on the branches of trees, and 
is of a large size. Here they lay and hatch in concert. 

I cannot enter into the details of my 
journey in Minas-Geraes, but I am reluctant 
to pass over a visit to one of the finest 
plantations in the province. The proprietor 
was a Brazilian, and the whole fazenda, 
in its minutest details, was carried on in the 
manner peculiar to the country, without 
any admixture of foreign modes of govern- 
ment and culture. 

Twelve miles beyond the Parahibuna (an 
affluent of the Parahiba) we turned aside 
from the highway, and, after riding through 
a belt of enclosed forest-land, we saw before us the large plantation- 
house of Soldade, belonging to Senhor Commendador Silva Pinto. 
The approach to the mansion was between two rows of palm-trees, 
around whose trunks a beautiful bignonia (the venusta) entwined 
itself, and then threw its climbing branches over the feathery leaves 
of the palms, thus forming a magnificent arch of flowers and 
foliage. The buildings, in the form of a hollow square, occupied 
an acre of ground. On two sides of the square was the residence 
of the Commendador and his family, while the remaining sides 
consisted of the sugar-establishment and the dwellings of the 
slaves. We entered the court-yard by a high gateway, and then 
for the first time we perceived the venerable planter sitting in a 
second-story veranda, reading. So soon as he saw us he laid down 
his book, descended into the square, and with great affability bade 
us a warm welcome. The American party doubtless owed this 
hospitable reception to one of our companions, Br. Bdefonso Gomez, 
a Brazilian whom almost every man of science visiting the Empire 
has delighted to honor for his intelligence, for his eminent abilities 
as a naturalist, and for his integrity as a man. 

Servants flew about noiselessly at the commands of the Com- 
mendador : they gave us rooms, hot coffee, hot baths, &c. &c. 
Then both they and their master did that which is most grateful 
to the weary traveller : they let us alone. 

When I had performed my ablutions and was recovered from 




Peter Parley in Brazil. 



439 



fatigue, I went to the veranda where the Commendador had been 
reading. I picked up his book, and to my astonishment I here 
found that it was A Historia Universale do Senhor Pedro Parley, 
(Peter Parley's Universal History !) Old Peter Parley in the inte- 
rior of Brazil ! I knew that England had availed herself of those 
books which have delighted Anglo-American childhood, and that 
hosts of counterfeiters and imitators had arisen, assuming that 
nom de plume; but it was beyond my most sanguine expectations 
to have ever seen in the Portuguese language, and in an interior 
province of distant Brazil, the history of the Eastern and Western 
Continents by Senhor Pedro Parley amusing and instructing youth 
and old age. It was no imitation. In reading the preface, I per- 
ceived that some priest had had to do with the translation, for it 
roundly asserted that Senhor Pedro Parley was urn bom Catholico 
Romano ! which will doubtless be an important piece of informa- 
tion to the veritable Puritan-descended Peter. 

I looked from the veranda upon a scene of cultivation. Close at 
hand were one hundred and fifty hives with bees; gently -rounded 
hills were covered with grazing flocks and herds, cotton and sugar 
fields were in valleys, while Indian corn and mandioca in large 
tracts were far to our right. The orange-orchard was the largest 
that I ever saw in any land : it was computed that there were ten 
thousand bushels of six different kinds of the luscious fruit. The 
sweet lemon abounded to such an extent that it was estimated 
that there were five thousand bushels. A "sweet lemon" seems 
almost as much of a contradiction in terms as an honest thief ; but 
it is a reality. Dr. Ildefonso Gomez informed me that this fruit, 
exactly resembling the acid one bearing the same name, was 
originally a sour lemon, but, by a disease and by grafting, a new 
species has been produced. The taste is not so rich as that of an 
orange, but is very quenching to the thirst, and the Brazilians at 
Eio consume great quantities of them. Near S. Eomao, a little 
place on the head-waters of the San Francisco, the lemon-tree has 
become naturalized, and the cattle that pasture in the woods are so 
fond of the fallen fruit that when killed their flesh smells strongly 
of it. 

Of all the articles mentioned above, not one finds its way to 
market. They are for the sustenance and clothing of the slaves, 



440 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



of whom the Commendador formerly had seven hundred. These 
are engaged in cultivating coffee, (for this is the great coffee- 
region,) which is the only crop intended by the proprietor to bring 
back a pecuniary return. This senhor owns other plantations, but • 
that of Soldade contains an area of sixty-four square miles. 

At dinner we were served in a large dining-room. The Com- 
mendador sat at the head of the table, while his guests and the 
various free members of his family sat upon forms, the feitors 
(overseers) and shepherds being at the lower end. He lives in 
true baronial style, and I was reminded of the description by Mr. 
J. G-. Kohl of castle-life among the noblemen of Courland and 
Livonia. A pleasant conversation was kept up during the long re- 
past, and at its close three servants came, — one bearing a massive 
silver bowl a foot and a half in diameter, another a pitcher of the 
same material containing warm water, while a third carried 
towels. The newly-arrived guests were thus served in lieu of 
finger-basins, which are rarely seen outside the capital. 

The Commendador had a chapel in his mansion, and each morn- 
ing mass was performed by an amiable young Portuguese priest, 
who knew much more about music than the gospel. The padre 
had many questions to ask concerning the peculiar doctrines of 
Protestants, and I was surprised to find that he possessed no 
Bible. I presented him with a New Testament, and before my de- 
parture we had many most earnest and serious conversations in 
regard to vital piety and the solemn responsibility that was upon 
him to teach the truth as it is in Christ Jesus. With the approval 
of the Commendador, (which was heartily given,) explanations of 
the Scriptures were hereafter to constitute a portion of the chapel- 
service on Sundays. 

On these interior plantations there is a beautiful custom at ves- 
pers of offering a short prayer and wishing each other a good- 
night; not that they then retire, but boa noite is the form of a 
blessing. We were all sitting on the veranda as the last rays of 
the sun were gilding the hill and the distant forest. The chapel- 
bell struck the vesper-hour. The conversation was arrested : we 
all arose to our feet. The hum of the sugar-mill ceased; the shout 
of the children died away; the slaves that were crossing the court- 
yard stopped and uncovered the head. All devoutly folded their 



The Plantation-Orchestra. 



441 



hands and breathed the evening prayer to the Virgin. I too joined 
in devotion to the blessed Saviour, the sole Mediator, and when 
the padre and others wished me the blessing in the name of Nossa 
Senhora, I returned the benediction em nome de Nosso Senhor Jesus 
Christo. The noise of merry voices again rang through the court- 
yard; the day's labor was finished; and soon night, with its dark- 
ness, silence, and repose, reigned over Soldade. 

Another custom I observed in various parts of Brazil, which, 
though a mere unmeaning form, is a custom both Christian and 
beautiful. I doubt, however, if one in a thousand attach any 
deeper significancy to it than we do to "good-morning/' At the 
close of the day the slaves enter the room where their master is, 
and, with their hands crossed, each addresses the fazendeiro in a 
pious salutation, the full form of which is, "I beseech your blessing 
in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ," and the reply should be, 
"Our Lord Jesus Christ bless you forever;" but in time this prayer 
and benediction are abbreviated to the last words of each sentence, 
which are pronounced in a most rapid and business-like manner by 
both parties : — Jesus Christo sempre, (forever.) 

In the course of our conversation the Commendador told us that 
he had his "own music now." He spoke of it very humbly. We 
desired to hear his musicians, supposing that we should hear a 
wheezy plantation-fiddle, a fife, and a drum. The Commendador 
said that we should be gratified in the evening. An hour after 
vespers I heard the twanging of violins, the tuning of flutes, short 
voluntaries on sundry bugles, the clattering of trombones, and all 
those musical symptoms preparatory to a beginning of some march, 
waltz, or polka. I went to the room whence proceeded these 
sounds ; there I beheld fifteen slave musicians, — a regular band : 
one presided at an organ, and there was a choir of younger negroes 
arranged before suitable stands, upon which were sheets of printed 
or manuscript music. I also observed a respectable colored gentle- 
man (who sat near me at dinner) giving various directions. He 
was the maestro. Three raps of his violin-bow commanded silence, 
and then a wave of the same, a la Julien, and the orchestra com- 
menced the execution of an overture to some opera with admirable 
skill and precision. I was totally unprepared for this. But the 
next piece overwhelmed me with surprise : the choir, accompanied 



442 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



by the instruments, performed a Latin mass. They sang from their 
notes, and little darkies from twelve to sixteen years of age read 
off the words with as much fluency as students in the Freshman 
year. I could scarcely believe my eyes and ears, and in order to 
try the accomplishments of the company I asked the maestro for 
the Stabat Mater: he instantly replied, "Sim, Senhor," named to 
the musicians the page, waved his baton, and then the wailing and 
touching strains of Stabat Mater sounded through the corridors of 
Soldade. While at supper we were regaled by waltzes and stirring 
marches, — among the latter "Lafayette's Grand March," composed 
in the United States. The maestro regretted that they had it not 
in their power to play our three national airs ; but I promised him 
that when an opportunity should afford I would take pleasure in 
adding to his musical library "Yankee Doodle/' "Hail Columbia," 
and the " Star-spangled Banner." One morning at three o'clock I 
was awakened by a servant, who informed me that the orchestra 
was about to play the Brazileiro in honor of O Senhor Commenda- 
dor's guests; and in a few minutes the band, with the addition of 
big drum, little drum, and cymbals, startled the early birds by the 
national anthem of Brazil, which was succeeded by "Lafayette's 
Grand March." 

Before our departure from Soldade, the hospitable proprietor 
furnished us horses, and we sallied forth to roam over the immense 
plantation. A portion of our party carried their guns, hoping to 
meet with game in our ramble. We rode over hills used as pas- 
ture-ground, which were literally dotted with the upright and 
fallen columns that had been erected by the termites, or white ant. 
These curious edifices and their still more curious architects have 
always had a great attraction for the naturalist. The hillocks 
are conical in their shape, but not with a broad base and tapering 
point as those built by the termites of Africa. Exposure to the 
sun has rendered them exceedingly hard, and doubtless many 
that are seen upon the uplands of S. Paulo and Minas-Geraes are 
more than a century old; for houses whose walls have been built 
from the same earth are still in existence which were built by early 
settlers in the seventeenth century. Sometimes the termites' 
dwelling is overturned by the slaves, the hollow scooped wider, and 
is then used as a bake-oven to parch Indian corn. In my ride over 



LlTERAKY AVHITE ANTS. 



443 



Soldade I saw a number of very large vultures, who, during the 
rain, had taken refuge in the houses that had been vacated by the 
white ant. 

These insects do not, however, always dwell in columnar edifices 
of three and six feet in height. I have seen, in some portions of 
Brazil, the ground ploughed up, to the extent of one hundred 
feet in circumference, by one nest of white ants. Again, they will 
climb trees, carrying building materials with them, and erecting 
a small archway (resembling 
what carpenters call an "inch- 
bead") over them for protection 
against their sworn enemy, the 
black or brown ant, and on the 
loftiest branches they will con- 
struct their nest. In cities they 
are sometimes very destructive : 
hence every Brazilian lady keeps 
her fine robes in tin boxes, and 
each gentleman who pretends to 
a library must often look at it 
to see if the cupim, or white ant, has not become a most penetrating 
reader of his volumes. My introduction to the cupim was in the 
house of our former Consul, ex-Governor Kent. A box of books 
sent out by the American Tract Society was placed in a lower 
room, and the next morning it was announced to me that the 
cupim had entered my property. I hastened to the room, and, 
turning over the box, beheld a little black hole at the bottom, and 
white, gelatinous-looking ants pouring out as though very much 
disturbed in their occupation. I opened the box, and found that 
a colony of cupim had eaten through the pine wood, and then 
had pierced through " Baxter's Call," " Doddridge's Eise and 
Progress," until they had reached the place where Bunyan's 
Pilgrim lay, when they were rudely deranged in their literary 
pursuits. 

On another occasion I saw a Brussels carpet, under which cupim 
had insinuated themselves and had eaten out nearly all the canvas 
before the proprietor made the sad discovery. 

Dr. Kidder, at Campinas, witnessed the depredations of the white 




WHITE ANTS IN A TREE. 



444 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

ants in the taipa (clay-built) houses. They insinuate themselves 
into the mud walls, and destroy the entire side of a house by per- 
forations. Anon they commence working in the soil, and extend 
their operations beneath the foundations of houses and under- 
mine them. The people dig large pits in various places, with the 
intent of exterminating tribes of ants which have been discovered 
on their march of destruction. 

Mr. Southey states, on the authority of ^lanoel Felix, that some 
of these insects, at one time, devoured the cloths of the altar in 
the Convent of S. Antonio, at JMaranham, and also brought up into 
the church pieces of shrouds from the graves beneath its floor; 
whereupon the friars prosecuted them according to due form of 
ecclesiastical law. What the sentence was in this case, we are 
unable to learn. The historian informs us, however, that, having 
been convicted in a similar suit at the Franciscan Convent at 
Avignon, the ants were not only excommunicated from the Eoman 
Catholic Apostolic Church, but were sentenced by the friars "to 
the pain of removal, within three days, to a place assigned them 

in the centre of the 
earth." The canon- 
ical account grave- 
ly adds that the ants 
obeyed, and carried 
away all their 
young and all their 
stores ! 

The white and 
other ants have, 
however, enemies 
far more tangible 
than bulls of ex- 
communication, in 
the MyrmecopJiaga, 
or the great ant- 
eater, the Taman- 
dua, and the "little 
ant-eater," of which the last two have a prehensile tail. The great 
ant-eater is a most curious animal, but well adapted to the purposes 




The Great Ant-Eater. 445 

for which it was designed by the Creator. Its short legs and long 
claws (the latter doubled up when in motion) do not hinder it from 
running at a good pace; and when the Indians wish to catch it 
they make a pattering noise upon the leaves as if the rain were 
falling, upon which the myrmecophaga cocks his huge bushy tail 
over his body, and, standing perfectly stiH, soon fells a prey. In 
the northern part of Minas-Geraes a naturalist once came sud- 
denly upon the great ant-eater, and, knowing the harmless nature 
of its mouth, seized it by the long snout, by which he tried to 
hold it, when it immediately rose upon its hind-legs, and, clasping 
him around the middle with its powerful fore-paws, completely 
brought him to a stand. It was struck down with a club a 
number of times, but soon recovered and ran off; and not until 
a pistol-ball was lodged in its breast was the naturalist able to add 
it to his collection. It measured six feet in length without the 
tail, which, together with the long tufts of hair, measured full four 
feet more. 

When the great ant-bear sleeps, it lies on one side, rolls itself 
up so that its snout rests on its breast, places all its feet together, 
and covers itself with its bushy tail. When thus curled up, it is 
so exactly like a bundle of hay that any one might pass it care- 
lessly, imagining it to be a loose heap of that substance. 

When it walks or runs, the claws of the fore-feet are doubled 
up, causing one side only of the foot to rest upon the ground. The 
proper use of these powerful claws is to obtain the white ant. 
When the ant-bear wishes a meal, he attacks one of the hard 
hillocks already described, and with his huge fore-paws furiously 
tears out a portion of the walls, and, thrusting in his long, slender 
tongue, which is covered with a viscid saliva, and to which myriads 
of ants adhere, he opens his little mouth and draws it in: then, 
shutting his lips, he pushes out his tongue a second time, retain- 
ing the ants in his mouth until the tongue has been completely 
exserted, when he swallows them. Wallace says that the Indians 
of the Upper Amazon positively assert, that the great ant-eater 
sometimes kills the jaguar by tightly embracing the latter and 
thrusting its enormous claws into the jaguar's sides. The 
aborigines also "declare that these animals are all females, and 
believe that the male is the 'curupira,' or demon of the forest. 



446 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

The peculiar organization of the animal has probably led to this 
error/' 

As we descended the hills of Soldade on our return to the planta- 
tion-house, one of our party fired at two pacas which were feeding 
near a little stream. Either the aim of the hunter was not good, 
or the buckshot did not tell upon the hairy side of the animal, and 
in a few moments he had swum the river and was hidden in the 
thick copse of bushes and ferns. The paca, the capybara, and 
agouti abound in Brazil, and are of the same family as marmots 




THE PACA. 



and beavers. The paca attracts the attention of the hunter both 
on account of the difficulty of its capture (as it takes the water 
and swims and dives admirably) and the esculent nature of 
its flesh. It is about eighteen inches in height and two feet in 
length, and its color is brown, spotted with white. The hinder 
limbs (being considerably bent) are longer than the anterior 
ones, and its claws are well formed for digging and burrowing. 
They are easily domesticated, and make lively pets, eating readily 
out of the hand of those it is accustomed to, but hiding from 
strangers. A friend bound to the United States had one on ship- 
board, which was a great favorite, and bade fair to weather the 
voyage and visit the shores of North America; but either the 



The Musical Cart. 



447 



new paint, or some salt water that he drank in a storm, cut short 
the thread of his existence, and poor paca was consigned to the 
blue waves of the Atlantic. 

After leaving our kind host, we journeyed toward Barbacena, over 
roads that can be used for vehicles; but the only movable article 
of that kind which we saw was the Eoman cart, unimproved since 
the days of the Georgics. Indeed, all Eoman carriages were of the 
same simple plan. The wheels did not turn on their axis, but axis 
and wheels turned together. We could often hear music of a most 
fortissime character, which they ground out as they moved slowly 
over the plantations. I was informed that the Brazilians construct 
these carts of a particular wood, having special reference to the 
musical qualities, which, when put into action under a heavy 
load and behind three yoke of cattle, resemble the concentrated 
powwow of a thousand belligerent tomcats. On the day of some 




THE MUSICAL CART. 



festa, I was travelling near the banks of the Parahiba, and miles 
away I heard the grinding of a cart. The distance had somewhat 
mellowed its music, and, after a long ride, I came up with it, and 
found a gay party of country Brazilians in their holiday attire 
riding upon the old Eoman chariot, which was adorned with bed- 
covers of a bright pattern. The unbonneted senhoras seemed as 
much at home in their turn-out, and doubtless as proud of it, as the 



448 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



most dashing lady of the Fifth Avenue in her cushioned coach 
which sways softly upon the most modern elastic springs. 

The province of Minas-Geraes is the most important of all the 
inland divisions of the Empire, owing to its mineral and vegetal 
riches, its immense herds, its accessibility to market, and its 
population. It contains eight hundred thousand inhabitants, and 
yet is so extensive that there are within its area of one hundred 
and fifty thousand square miles many forests, — a perfect wilder- 
ness, overrun with Indian tribes, and where the jaguar roams in 
undisturbed independence. 

Other portions are among the most improved and eligible parts 
of the Empire. One writer has remarked, with great emphasis, 
that, if there be one spot in the world which might be made to sur- 
pass all others, Minas is that favored spot. Its climate is mild and 
healthful ; its surface is elevated and undulating; its soil is fertile, 
and capable of yielding the most valuable productions; its forests 
abound in choice timber, balsams, drugs, and dye-woods. 

But all these circumstances together have not given the pro- 
vince so much celebrity as the single fact of its inexhaustible 
mineral wealth. Its name signifies the general or universal mines, 
and, accordingly, mines of gold, silver, copper, and iron are found 
within its borders, besides quantities of precious stones. Several 
of the most valuable gold-mines not far from Ouro Preto have been 
wrought by an English mining company for the last twenty years. 
This enterprise has been unquestionably a source of profit to its 
stockholders, and has rendered great service to the country gene- 
rally, by introducing the most approved methods of mining and 
by giving an impetus to Brazilian industry. This company con- 
stantly employs a large number of miners from Cornwall, and has 
established quite an English village at its principal mine. 

The agricultural capacities of the province are very great. It 
yields coffee, sugar, tobacco, and cotton. It indeed produces some 
coarse manufactures of cotton. Its soil yields Indian corn in great 
profusion, and may be made to grow wheat. Upon its campinas, 
or upland prairies, innumerable herds of cattle, and some flocks of 
sheep, are pastured. The milk of the cows is converted into a 
species of soft cheese, known as the queijo de Minas. Immense 
quantities of them may be seen at Bio de Janeiro, and from that 



The History of Coffee. 



449 



port they are scattered along the coast, being very much esteemed 
as an article of food. 

The great staple, however, of Minas-Geraes, and of the whole 
Empire of Brazil, is coffee. What a history might he written of 
the voyages, the naturalization, and the uses of this member of the 
Bubiaceon family ! The coffee-tree is not, as is generally supposed, 
a native of Arabia, but its home is Abyssinia, and particularly 
that district called Kaffa, whence the name of the beverage-berry. 
To this day the coffee-plant is found growing as far as the sources 
of the White Nile. It was not taken to Arabia until the fifteenth 
century, when, being cultivated extensively, with great success as 
to quantity and quality, in the province or Kingdom of Yemen, and 
embarked from Mocha, the coffee of that portion of the world ob- 
tained a celebrity which it has never lost. When it was introduced 
by the Orientals into Europe we know not; but as early as 1538 
we find edicts against it, issued by the Mohammedan priests, on 
the ground that the faithful went more to the coffee-shops than to 
the mosque. The earliest notice that we have of it in France is 
in 1643, when a certain adventurer from the Levant established in 
Paris a coffee-house, which did not succeed. In a few years, how- 
ever, it became the mode among the aristocracy, through its 
inauguration by Soliman Aga, the Ambassador of the Sublime 
Porte at the Court of Louis XIV. Several of the high personages 
of the time resisted its introduction, — among them the celebrated 
Madame de Sevigne, who had declared that the popularity of coffee 
would be merely ephemeral; and, in the intensity of her admira- 
tion for Corneille, she predicted that Le Racine passerait comme le 
cafe, (Eacine will be forgotten as soon as coffee,) both of which 
predictions have proved rather detrimental to the prophetic reputa- 
tion of the renowned lady letter-writer. Before the middle of the 
seventeenth century it was in vogue in the principal capitals of 
Europe. An English merchant from Constantinople was the first 
to introduce it to the Londoners, and his wife, being a young and 
pretty Greek, was a most attractive saleswoman. It is said that 
the coffee-houses were greatly multiplied during the Protectorate, 
and that Cromwell, wishing to protect the interest of the taverns, 
and doubtless urged on b}^ the publicans, caused them to be closed. 

Previous to the eighteenth century, all the coffee consumed in 

29 



450 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Europe was brought from Arabia Felix via the Levant, and the 
Pachas of Egypt and Syria took good care to increase their coffers 
by exorbitant transit duties. This exaction was broken up by the 
vessels of Holland, (first,) England, and France sailing around the 
Cape of Good Hope to Mocha. In 1699, Yan Horn, first President 
of the Butch East Indies, obtained coffee-plants and had them 
cultivated in Batavia, where they wonderfully prospered, and the 
berries of Java obtained a reputation second only to those of Mocha. 
One of the Batavian shrubs was transplanted to the Botanical 
Gardens of Amsterdam in 1710, and by great care succeeded so well 
that a shoot was sent to Louis X1Y. and placed in the Jardin des 
Plantes. From this last plant, slips were confided to M. Isambert 
to be taken to Martinique; but M. Isambert died before the arrival 
of the ship, and consequently the coffee-plants perished. In 1720, 
Antoine de Jussieu, of the Boyal Botanical Gardens, sent, by Cap- 
tain Declieux, three more coffee-shrubs, also destined to Martinique. 
The voyage was long, the vessel was short of water : two of the 
plants died, but Captain Declieux shared his ration of water with 
the cafier, and thus succeeded in introducing it into the West 
Indies : that plant was the ancestor, it is said, of all the coffee- 
plantations in America. 

The honor of planting the first coffee-tree in Brazil belongs to 
the Franciscan Friar Yillaso, who in 1754 placed one in the 
garden, of the San Antonio Convent at Bio de Janeiro. It was not, 
however, until after the Hay ti en insurrection that coffee became an 
object of great cultivation and commerce in Brazil. In 1809, the 
first cargo was sent to the United States, and all the coffee raised 
in the Empire in that year scarcely amounted to 30,000 sacks, 
while in the Brazilian financial year of 1855 there were exported 
3,256,089 sacks, which brought into the country nearly $25,000,000. 
The United States, during the financial year ending June 30, 1856, 
imported, from all coffee-producing countries, 235,241,362 pounds of 
the beverage-berry, 180,243,070 pounds (i.e. nearly three-fourths 
of the whole) of which came from Brazil. The next highest 
country on the list is Yenezuela, which sent us 16,546,166 pounds; 
and thirdly, Hayti, from which we imported about 13,500,000 
pounds. The whole sum paid by the United States for coffee was 
$21,514,196, of which Brazil received no less than $16,091,714. 



I 



Coffee-Culture. 451 

The great coffee-region, as has been mentioned, is on the banks 
of the Eio Parahiba, and in the province of San Paulo; but every 
year it is more widely cultivated, and a considerable quantity is 
now grown in provinces farther northward. It can be planted by 
burying the seeds or berries, (which are double,) or by slips. The 
trees are placed six or eight feet apart, and those plants which 
have been taken from the nursery with balls of mould around their 
roots will bear fruit in two years; those detached from the earth 
will not produce until the third year, and the majority of such 
shrubs die. In the province of S. Paulo, and the richest portions 
of Minas-Geraes, one thousand trees will yield from 2560 to 3200 
pounds, in Eio de Janeiro from 1600 to 2560. In some parts of S. 
Paulo, one thousand trees have yielded 6400 pounds; but this is 
extraordinary. In the province of Eio de Janeiro, trees are gene- 
rally cut down every fifteen years. There are some cafiers on the 
plantation of Senator Yergueiro which are twenty-four years old, 
and are still bringing forth fruit. As a general rule, they are not 
allowed to exceed twelve feet in height, so as to be in reach. When 
the berry is ripe, it is about the size and color of a cherry, and 
resembles it, or a large cranberry: of these berries a negro can 
daily collect about thirty -two pounds. There are three gatherings 
in the year, and the berries are spread out upon pavements or a 
level portion of ground, (the terreno,) from whence they are taken 
when dry and denuded of the hull by machinery, and afterward con- 
veyed to market. Nothing is more beautiful than a coffee-planta- 
tion in full and virgin bloom. The snowy blossoms all burst forth 
simultaneously, and the extended fields seem almost in a night 
to lay aside their robe of verdure, and to replace it by the most 
delicate mantle of white, which exhales a fragrance not unworthy 
of Eden. But the beauty is truly ephemeral, for the. snow-white 
flowers and the delightful odor pass away in twenty-four hours. 

It is by toilsome journeys on mule-back that the coffee-sacks 
from Minas-Geraes generally reach a market, and nothing so much 
hinders the general prosperity of this province as its lack of good 
roads and some feasible thoroughfare to a market. The province 
has, of late years, expended considerable sums upon the construc- 
tion of roads, but as yet it cannot send a single ton of its produce 
to market upon wheels. The journey from Ouro Preto, the capital, 



/ 



452 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

to Eio de Janeiro, — a distance of about two hundred miles, — is 
performed on the backs of mules and horses only, and ordinarily 
requires fifteen days. 

As to education, it is but just to say that Minas-Geraes, accord- 
ing to official statistics, takes the lead of all the provinces in this 
praiseworthy enterprise. The provincial Government has made 
large expenditures for the support of schools, and the people seem 
to have appreciated the benefit to be derived from them. 

Should the long-talked-of enterprise of steam navigation upon 
the Eio Doce and the Eio de S. Francisco ever prove successful, 
the interests of Minas-Geraes would, it is presumed, be greatly 
promoted. 

As to the navigation of the Eio San Francisco, — a river as large 
as the Yolga, — a glance at the map will show its importance to 
Minas and all other provinces watered by it and its tributaries. 
The San Francisco is the largest river emptying into the Atlantic 
between the Amazon and the Eio de la Plata. It rises in the pro- 
vince of Minas, and waters the soil of Bahia, Pernambuco, Sergipe, 
and Alagoas, in its course to the ocean. From the mouth of the 
Eio das Velhas to the Falls of Paulo Affonso, not many leagues 
east of Joazeira, a distance of seven hundred miles, its waters are 
suitable for navigation, although, from the sparseness of population 
on its banks, and the lack of enterprise, it is but little used for this 
purpose. The Falls of Paulo Affonso are described by those who 
have seen them as an immense cataract, over which the river 
plunges, forming a spectacle of the utmost grandeur. The vapors 
arising from the ravine may be seen at a great distance. They 
resemble the smoke of a conflagration in the midst of the forest. 
The river does not again find a tranquil bed until near its em- 
bouchure, but for the space of seventy-five miles dashes with fury 
over a succession of rapids and smaller cataracts, which effectually 
interrupt the passage of vessels and forbid the hope of any arti- 
ficial connection between the upper and lower navigation. 

But these difficulties are about to be overcome in another man- 
ner: a railway from Pernambuco to Joazeira has already been 
projected, through the enterprise of the Messrs. de Mornay, who 
have obtained the concession of the first portion for its construc- 
tion from the city of Pernambuco to Agoa Preta, on the river Una, 



Railroad to the S. Francisco. 



453 



a distance of seventy-four miles. From Bahia also another road 
has been projected northward to Joazeira. Now, from the latter 
point to the mouth of the Rio das Velhas there is an uninterrupted 
steamboat navigation for seven hundred miles, and numerous tri- 
butary rivers increase the navigation to nearly two thousand miles. 
It is therefore from the Barra das Velhas that a railway will most 
probably be made to Rio de Janeiro, about four hundred and thirty 
miles in a straight line, — the whole comprising, by rail and by 
river, as Mr. Borthwick in his excellent report says, "a grand in- 
ternal communication between the capital and the most thriving 
provinces;" and such is its necessity that it is only a question of 
time. When such a system of internal improvements is completed, 
no province will be more benefited than Minas-Geraes. 




INHABITANTS OF THE FORESTS OF GOYAZ. 



Upon the west and north of Minas-Geraes is the large province 
of Goyaz. Like most of the interior portions of Brazil, Goyaz was 
discovered and overrun at an early day by the Paulistas, in their 
search for mines and Indian slaves. It abounds in gold, diamonds, 
and precious stones ; but its remoteness from the sea-shore, and its 
lack of roads, canals, and steamboats upon its navigable rivers, are 
great obstacles to the development of its resources. 

This province, bounded on the west by the Araguaia, may be 
considered as occupying the central portion of Brazil, and is not 
generally mountainous, although its surface is elevated and un- 
equal. Some tall virgin forests are seen upon the banks of its 
rivers, in which most comical monkeys abound; but the larger 



454 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



part of the province is covered with that species of low and 
stunted shrubbery which prevails in large portions of the province 
of Minas, and is designated by the terms catingas and carasqueiros. 
Its soil yields the usual productions of Brazil, together with many 
of the fruits of Southern Europe. Cultivation has progressed 
further in Goyaz than in Mato Grosso, though it is still extremely 
backward. 

The name of this province is derived from the G-oyas, a tribe of 
Indians formerly inhabiting its territory, but now nearly extinct. 
Various other tribes still exist within its borders, several of which 
cherish a deadly hatred to the people who have invaded their 
domains and disturbed them in their native haunts. Settlements 
are often laid waste by the hostile incursions of these Indians. 

In Goyaz, as well as in other portions of the interior, the tra- 
veller will find plenty of honey made by stingless bees. I do not 
know that it holds true in Brazil, as in North America, that the 
bee precedes by a few miles the onward march of civilization, — 
advances as the Indian and the wild beast prepare to take their 
departure, — and thus is the pioneer of a better state of things; but 
it gives of its sweets to sustain and cheer the settler and the 
voyageur in those vast and fertile solitudes. I suppose that the 
bees of Brazil are indigenous, and not like the honey-bee of the 
United States, which was unknown before the arrival of Europeans, 
and to which the Indians — having no term for it in their language 
— gave the name of " English flies." The greater portion of the 
Brazilian bees possess, in their absence of weapons, a peculiarity 
which many a stung sufferer would wish the Apis mellifica of North 
America possessed. Some of these bees make sour honey, which 
will compensate for sweet lemons.* 



* Dr. Gardner, in his visit to Goyaz, was entertained at a little place not far from 
Natividade, near the mountains which form the southwestern boundary of Piauhi. 
"The owner of the house," he says, "returned from the woods, shortly after our 
arrival, with a considerable quantity of wild honey, some of which he kindly gave 
us, and we found it excellent : it was the product of one of the smaller bees so 
numerous in this part of Brazil. This was the season in which the people go to 
the woods in search of honey. It is so generally used, that, after leaving Duro, 
[where Goyaz, Piauhi, and Pernambuco are contiguous,] a portion was presented 
to us at almost every house where we stopped. These bees mostly belong to the 
genus Melipona, Illig., and I collected a great many, which, with some other zoo- 



Goyaz — Stingless Bees. 



455 



In some portions of Goyaz society is very backward, but not 
altogether in the state which existed at the time (1817) of St. 
Hilaire's visit. There is a powerful class of the inhabitants called 
vaqueiros, or cattle-proprietors. These men possess vast herds of 
horned cattle, and their principal business is to mark, tend, and 
fold them. They understand the use of the lasso, and also of the 
long knife. However, their moral and intellectual condition is by 
no means perfect. 



logical specimens, were afterward lost in crossing a river. A list of them, with 
their native names and a few observations, may not be uninteresting : — 

"1. Jatahy. — This is a very minute yellowish-colored species, being scarcely two lines long. The 
honey, which is excellent, very much resembles that of the common hive-bee of Europe. 

"2. Muiher branco. — About the same size as No.l, but of a whitish color: the honey is likewise good, 
but a little acid. 

"3. Tubi. — A little black bee, smaller than a common house-fly: the honey is good, but has a pecu- 
liar bitter flavor. 

" 4. Manoel drAbreu. — About the size of the tubi, but of a yellowish color : its honey is good. 

"5. Atakira. — Black, and nearly the same size as the tubi, — the principal distinction between them 
consisting in the kind of entrance to their hives : the tubi makes it of wax, the atatera of clay. Its 
honey is very good. 

"6. Oariti. — Of a blackish color, and about the same size as the tubi: its honey is rather sour, and 
not good. 

"7. Tataira. — About the size of the tubi, but with a yellow body and a black head: its honey is 
excellent. 

' ; S. Mumbuco. — Black, and larger than the tubi: the honey, after being kept about an hour, becomes 
as sour as lemon-juice. 

"9. Bejui. — Very like the tubi, but smaller: its honey is excellent. 

" 10. Tiubd. — Of the size of a large house-fly, and of a grayish-black color : its honey is excellent. 
"11. Bord. — About the size of a house-fly, and of a yellowish color: its honey is acid. 
-12. UrussH. — About the size of a large humble-bee: the head is black and the body yellowish. It 
produces good honey. 

•■13. Units u preto. — Entirely black, and upward of an inch in length: it likewise produces good 
honey. 

" 14. Canidra. — Black, and about the same size as Xo. 13 : its honey is too bitter to be eatable. It is 
said to be a great thief of the honey of other bees. 

"15. CJiupe. — About the size of Xo.10, of a black color. It makes its hive of clay on branches of 
trees, and is often of a very large size. Its honey is good. 

"16. Vrapua. — Very like Xo. 15, but always builds its hive rounder, flatter, and smaller. 

"17. Enchu. — This is a kind of wasp about the size of a house-fly : its head is black and the body 
yellow. It builds its hive in the branches of trees : this is of a papery tissue about three feet in circum- 
ference. Its honey is good. 

"IS. Enchu ptqueno. — Very similar to the last, but always makes a smaller hive: it also produces 
good honey. 

"The first eleven of these honey-bees construct their cells in the hollow trunks of trees, and the 
others either in similar situations or beneath the ground. It is only the last three kinds that sting, all 
the others being harmless. The only attempt I ever saw to domesticate these bees was by a Cornish 
miner in the Gold District, who cut off those portions of the trunks of the trees which contained the 
nest, and fastened them up under the eaves of his house. They seemed to thrive very well ; but when- 
ever the honey was wanted, it was necessary to destroy the bees. Both the Indians and the other 
inhabitants of the country are very expert in tracing these insects to the trees in which they hive. 
They generally mix the honey— which is very fluid— with farinha before they eat it, and of the wax 
they make a course kind of taper about a yard long, which serves in lieu of candles, and which the 
couatry-people bring to the villages for sale. We found this very convenient, and always carried a suffi- 
cient stock with us: not unfrequently we were obliged to manufacture them ourselves from the wax 
obtained by my own men." 



456 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



But, in the general improvement which is gradually pervading 
all Brazil, this province receives its share; and, when the railways 
are completed to Joazeira, Goyaz will be easily brought within 
a few hours of the great marts on the Atlantic seaboard. The 
various affluents of the Tocantins and of the Parahiba do Sul 
water this province, and afford it a certain species of communica- 
tion with the adjacent provinces; and yet in the middle and 
southern provinces I have met with travellers and mule-troops 
taking the long and fatiguing land-route to Bio de Janeiro and 
Santos. From Goyaz, the capital of the province, to Para, the 
distance is more than one thousand miles, and this journey has 
been performed the whole way by water, with the exception of a 
few leagues. This long river-route was accomplished as early as 
1773, under the governorship of Jose d' Almeida de Yasconcellos 
Sobral e Carvalho, and we of the Xorth are filled with wonder 
that this navigation does not become permanent and reliable. As 
Brazilian steamers have been running regularly upon the Amazon 
since 1853, we may hope in time to see the waters of the Tocan- 
tins and its tributaries furrowed by suitable vapores, and thus this 
rich province become fully developed. 

Mato Grosso is an immense province, containing a greater area 
than the original thirteen States of the Union. It is west of 
Goyaz, and borders upon Bolivia, the Argentine Confederation, 
and Paraguay. 

Mato Grosso may be reached from Para by ascending either the 
Tocantins, the Chingu, the Tapajos, or the Madeira Bivers. A 
glance at the map would lead one to suppose that the passage of 
the Madeira was not only the longest, but also that which would 
be in every way the most difficult. It is, however, better known 
than either of the others, and is the only one which has, to any 
extent, been a commercial thoroughfare. 

The distance in a right line from Para to Yilla Bella, or Mato 
Grosso, (one of the principal towns of the province,) is about one 
thousand miles. Not less than two thousand five hundred miles 
must be traversed in making the passage by water. Lieutenant 
Gibbon, U.S.N., has given a very interesting account of his 
descent (in 1852) of the Mamore Biver, from the fort Principe de 
Beira to the Madeira, and thence to Para; but the best detailed 



Lieutenant Page's Survey of the La Plata. 457 



sketch of this long route and the numerous difficulties it opposes 
to either the traveller or the merchant is found in a memoir pub- 
lished by the Geographical and Historical Institute of Rio de 
Janeiro. 

For the distance of fifteen hundred miles up the Amazon and 
the Madeira, to the Falls of St. Antonio, there is nothing in the 
way but a powerful current. Much of the country through which 
the last-named river flows is very unhealthy. From the Falls of 
St. Antonio a succession of falls and rapids extend upward more 
than two hundred miles. Nearly all this distance it is necessary to 
transport canoes and cargoes overland, by the most tedious and 
difficult processes imaginable. Precipices must be climbed, roads 
cut, and huts built from time to time as a temporary shelter 
against the rains. In short, three or four months are necessarily 
consumed on this part of the route. Once above this chain of 
obstacles, there remain about seven hundred miles of good naviga- 
tion on the Mamore and Guapore Eivers. Previous to steam-navi- 
gation on the Amazon the entire voyage occupied ten months, 
when made by traders carrying goods. Yast numbers of Indians 
and negroes are required as oarsmen and bearers of burdens. It 
is customary for several companies to associate together, and the 
supplies which must necessarily be provided beforehand occasion 
great expense and inconvenience. The downward voyage, as a 
matter of course, would be much more easily and quickly per- 
formed. Notwithstanding the tedium and the toil of this long 
and dreary passage, it is generally less dreaded than the overland 
route to Rio de Janeiro. On the latter, an interminable succession 
of mountains, the lack of any direct or suitable roads, the impos- 
sibility of procuring provisions by the way, — at least for great 
distances, — and the slow pace of loaded mules, are by no means 
trifling difficulties in the way of either despatch or pleasure. 

But by the enterprise and ability of Lieutenant Thomas J. Page, 
U. S. K, a new route by water to the capital of the Empire has 
been opened to Brazil and the world. This gentleman, acting 
under orders of the United States Government, sailed from Nor- 
folk in 1853, in the U. S. steamer " Water-Witch," four hundred 
tons' burden and nine feet draft. The object of this expedition 
was the suiwey of the river La Plata and its tributaries, for the 



458 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



advancement of commerce and the promotion of science. Although 
some obstacles presented themselves at Bio de Janeiro, the Impe- 
rial Government finally granted its consent, and the Water-Witch 
went on its mission of peace; and no one can read Lieutenant 
Page's report to the late Secretary of the Navy (Mr. Dobbin) 
without the deepest interest, and the conviction that the surveys 
and discoveries of the Commander and those under him are of the 
greatest importance to North America and Europe, as well as to 
Brazil and the South American States. 

The investigations of Lieutenant Page on the Parana, Paraguay, 
and also a number of their tributaries, show conclusively that these 
rivers can become the richest channels of commerce. Of the Para- 
guay he says : — 

"This river differs from the Parana in several particulars. Its 
period of rising is generally the reverse; it contains but few 
islands, is confined between narrow limits, is more easy of navi- 
gation, because less obstructed by shoals, and the course of its 
channel is less variable; its width from one-eighth to three-fourths 
of a mile, its velocity two miles per hour, and its rise is from 
twelve to fifteen feet. In October it attains its maximum and in 
February its minimum state. From its mouth to Assuncion, a dis- 
tance of two hundred and fifty miles, there were found no less than 
twenty feet of water when the river had fallen about two feet. 
This depth of water remained unchanged for the distance of 
several hundred miles above Assuncion, and the "Water- Witch had 
ascended the Paraguay seven hundred miles above this place be- 
fore she found less than twelve feet. At this time the river had 
fallen several feet. 

"The admirable adaptation of these rivers to steam-navigation 
cannot but forcibly strike the most casual observer. 

"There are no obstructions from fallen trees, neither shoals nor 
rocks, to endanger navigation. At suitable points — in fact, at 
every point in Paraguay particularly — an abundance of the best 
wood may be procured immediately on the banks; and, when 
populated, no difficulty will be found in obtaining a supply of it 
prepared for immediate use. By experiment carefully made, 
one cord of the Paraguay wood was ascertained to be equal, in 
the production of steam, to a ton of the best anthracite coal. 



Dr. Kane and Lieutenant Strain. 



459 



"The left bank of the river, up to the distance of four hundred 
and fifty miles from Assuncion, is populated, but more and more 
sparsely as the northern frontier is approached. Between the most 
northern Paraguayan and the most southern Brazilian settlements — 
a distance of two hundred and fifty miles — there is no habitation of 
civilized man. Various tribes of Indians were met with at dif- 
ferent points, with some of whom we 'held a talk/ and parted on 
such friendly terms, because of the numerous presents we made 
them in trinkets and tobacco, that they became somewhat trouble- 
some, following us along the banks on horseback, desirous that we 
should repeat the visit on shore." 

This was the first steamer that ever ploughed the upper waters 
of the Paraguay. The arrival of the Water- Witch at Coimbra 
(Brazil) was hailed with the liveliest demonstrations of joy, and 
Lieutenant Page was received by the authorities with the most 
marked attention. His command, owing to the proper permission 
from the Imperial Government arriving too late, did not proceed 
higher than Corumba. Lieutenant Page is, however, of the opinion 
that Cuiba, in Mato Grosso, may b.e reached by small steamers. It 
is hoped that this energetic and intelligent officer may yet prose- 
cute his surveys for the benefit of the world. 

It is interesting to reflect that while the American navy has 
been to a great extent, for nearly fifty years, exempt from the work 
of war, her gallant officers have won imperishable laurels in the 
nobler pursuits of scientific investigation. The names of Bache, 
Maury, Strain, Kane, Gillis, Page, and the scores who have been 
employed on coast-surveys, have done more to benefit their country 
and mankind than all the naval battles of the nineteenth century. 
Since these pages were commenced, two whose names are men- 
tioned above have slept the "last sleep." When scientific attain- 
ments, self-sacrifice, and suffering shall be connected together, the 
hero of the Arctic regions and the hero of the Isthmus of Darien 
will not be forgotten by the thousands who shall come after us. 
To both may be applied the language of Mr. George Ripley, of Xew 
York, in regard to Kane: — "The admirable qualities which they 
displayed in the discharge of their official duties are a sure pledge 
of permanent fame. Courage, wisdom, fertility of resource, power 
of endurance, and devotion to an idea, are stamped upon their 



460 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



intrepid career." As Dr. Kane, though bent on an errand of mercy, 
was the first American to attempt "to lift the dead veil of mystery 
which hangs over the Arctic regions/' so Lieutenant Strain, for the 
benefit of mankind, was the first American to explore the wonder- 
ful rivers of that region of fabulous fertility in the South. 

While a midshipman, he obtained leave to enter the interior of 
Brazil, and, accompanied by a small party of brave spirits, (among 
whom was Dr. Eeinhart,) he explored the province of San Paulo, 
tracing the rivers Tiete and Paranapanema nearly to their conflu- 
ence with the Parana. The dangers and hardships he encountered 
in this expedition were only inferior to those of the more recent 
and better-known expedition to the Isthmus of Darien. His ser- 
vices as an explorer were suitably acknowledged by the Imperial 
Government; and in Brazil I have heard high encomiums on Lieu- 
tenant Strain, and in his death science has lost a noble son.* 

It would be an interesting expedition, and great good would be 
accomplished, if the Government of Brazil would consent to send 
out, with England, France, and the United States, a joint scientific 
commission, to explore thoroughly the whole district of Central 
Brazil, from Bolivia to Bahia, with particular reference to the 
navigability of the waters, that here interlace, of those vast rivers 
which irrigate such a wide extent of territory. 

In the northern part of this province are countless hosts of 
monkeys, mostly of the howling kind. M. de Castelnau, on the 



* The career of this officer after leaving Brazil may be briefly stated : — From 
South America he went to California. "In 1849, returning from the Pacific, he 
crossed the continent from Valparaiso to Buenos Ayres, of which he published a 
narrative entitled ' The Cordillera and Pampa.' Subsequently, he was attached to 
the Mexican Boundary-Commission. An African cruise followed his return from 
Mexico, and not long after he led the fatal expedition across the Isthmus of Darien, 
which cost so many valuable lives, and undermined the health, and has now caused 
the death, of the leader. Rallying from the effects of the hardships of that adven- 
ture, he accompanied Lieutenant Berryman in the voyage of the steamer Arctic to 
sound the course of the Atlantic telegraph. This was his last public service. 
But his energetic spirit could not brook inaction, and at the time of his death he 
was on his way to join the same ship from which he had been detached three years 
before to examine the Darien route ; and on the same spot where he won so high a 
name among American explorers he yielded up his life." — Providence (R.I.) Journal. 



A Race of Indians "with Tails." 



461 



head-waters of the Amazon, found the written authentic account 
of a padre of very early times, who affirmed that there was here 
a race of Indians which 
he had seen, who were 
dwarfish in size and had 
tails. He says that one 
was brought to him whose 
caudal extremity was 
"the thickness of a finger, 
and half a palm long, and 
covered with a smooth 
and naked skin/' and 
also he further sets his 
seal to the fact that the 
Indian cut his own tail 
once a month, as he did 
not like to have it too 
long. Was not the padre's 
dwarf the Brachyurus cal- 
vus, with the short, ball- 
like tail, discovered a few 
years ago in this region 
by Mr. Deville ? 

Cuiba, the capital of 
Ma to G-rosso, has a 
healthy location upon a 
river of the same name. 
Although called a city, it is, in fact, but a village. Its houses are 
nearly all built of taipa, with floors of hardened clay or brick. 
The region immediately surrounding it is said to be so abundant 
in gold, that some grains of it may be found wherever the earth 
is excavated. It is about one hundred miles from the diamond- 
district. 

Its soil is fertile, but it almost universally lacks cultivation. In 
some parts particular attention is given to grazing; but, gene- 
rally speaking, the inhabitants make no exertions to produce any 
thing that is not requisite for their own consumption. Indeed, 
they do not always reach the limit of their own necessities. The 




462 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



province abounds in gold and diamonds; but, owing to the lack 
of skill employed in searching for them, the products of either, for 
latter years, have been very small. What is gained by the miners 
and the garimpeiros, as the diamond-seekers are called, together 
with a certain quantity of ipecacuanha, constitute the whole 
amount of exports from the province. These articles are gene- 
rally sent on mule-back to Eio de Janeiro, where manufactured 
goods in return are purchased and sent back over the tedious land- 
route. 

The first printing-press ever seen in Mato G-rosso was procured 
at the expense of the Government in 1838. In matters of educa- 
tion this province is exceedingly backward. The schools are not 
only few in number, but great inconveniences are suffered from the 
lack of books, paper, and nearly every other material essential to 
elementary education. In addition to this low and unpromising 
state of education, that of religion appears, from the reports of 
successive presidents of the province, to be still worse. There are 
but few churches in existence: not more than half of these are 
supplied with priests; and all, without great expenses in repairing, 
will ere long be in ruins. 

Goyaz and Mato Grosso may be ranked together in the relation 
they bear to the other portions of the Empire and of the world. 
Both were originally settled by gold-hunters. The lure of treasure 
led adventurers to bury themselves in the deep recesses of these 
interminable forests. Their search was successful. Their most 
eager avarice was satiated. But agriculture was neglected; peo- 
ple could not eat gold, and in many instances those who were able 
to count their treasure by arrobas were in the greatest want of the 
necessities of life. The ground was not cultivated; nothing was 
exported; no flourishing towns were built. The gold-fever, abating, 
left society in a state so enfeebled that we see its effects even to- 
day. Gold and diamonds hindered the progress of Goyaz and 
Mato Grosso more than their dense forests and great distance 
from the sea-shore. It is instructive to look at the widely-different 
results of the mineral and vegetable riches of the Empire, xlfter 
Mexico and Peru, (before the discovery of Australian and Califor- 
nian treasure,) Brazil furnished the largest quantum of hard cur- 
rency to the commercial world. Here the diamond, the ruby, the 



t 



Difference in Kesults from Diamonds and Coffee. 463 



sapphire, the topaz, and the rainbow-tinted opal sparkle in their 
native splendor. And yet so much greater are the riches of the 
agricultural productions of the Empire, that the annual sum re- 
ceived for the single article of coffee surpasses the results of eighty 
years' yield of the diamond-mines. From 1740 to 1822, (the era 
of independence,) a period which was the most prosperous in 
diamond-mining, the number of carats obtained were two hundred 
and thirty-two thousand, worth not quite three and a half millions 
pounds sterling. The exports of coffee from Eio alone during the 
year 1851 amounted to £4,756,794! And when we add the sums 
obtained for the other great staples of sugar, cotton, seringa, 
(or the India rubber,) dye-woods, and the productions of the im- 
mense herds of the South, we have, it is true, a better idea of the 
sources of wealth in Brazil, but only a faint conception of the vast 
resources of this fertile Empire. 

Having thus glanced at all the interior provinces except 
Amazonas, we next turn our attention to the maritime provinces 
north of Eio de Janeiro. 



CHAPTEB XXIV. 



CAPE FRIO— WRECK OF THE FRIGATE THETIS — CAMPOS — ESPIRITO SANTO — ABORI- 
GINES ORIGIN OF INDIAN CIVILIZATION THE PALM-TREE AND ITS USES 

THE TTJPI-GUARANI — THE LINGO A GERAL FEROCITY OF THE AYMORES — THE 

CITY OF BAHIA PORTERS — CADEIRAS HISTORY OF BAHIA — CARAMURU — ATTACK 

OF THE HOLLANDERS MEASURES TAKEN BY SPAIN — THE CITY RETAKEN — THE 

DUTCH IN BRAZIL SLAVE-TRADE SOCIABILITY OF BAHIA — MR. GILLMER, AME- 
RICAN CONSUL THE HUMMING-BIRD WHALE-FISHERY — AMERICAN CEMETERY 

HENRY MARTYN VISIT TO MONTSERRAT VIEW OF THE CITY THE EMPEROR'S 

BIRTHDAY MEDICAL SCHOOL PUBLIC LIBRARY IMAGE-FACTORY THE WON- 
DERFUL IMAGE OF ST. ANTHONY — NO MIRACLE— ST. ANTHONY A COLONEL 

VISIT TO VALEN9A — DARING NAVIGATION — W PUBIS NATURALIBUS — THE FAC- 
TORY AND COLONEL CARSON AMERICAN MACHINERY SKILFUL NEGROES 

RETURN HOME COMMERCE WITH THE UNITED STATES. 

To reach the Brazilian JSTorth by sea has been no difficult task 
since 1839. At Bio de Janeiro, scarcely three days elapse unless 
some steamer, either foreign or nagional, embarks for the city of 
Bahia. Entering one of these, in a few hours we will be abreast 
of Cape Frio, which huge oval mass of granite marks the spot 
where the line of coast turns to the north and forms nearly a 
right angle. 

Some years ago, the English frigate Thetis, bound homeward at 
the expiration of a cruise in the Pacific, was wrecked upon Cape 
Frio. This vessel, on leaving the harbor of Bio, where she had 
touched, encountered foul weather. After struggling against it 
till it was presumed she had cleared the coast, she bore away on 
her course. The darkness of the night was impenetrable, and, the 
wind being strong, the ship was running eight or ten knots an 
hour, when, without the slightest warning or apprehension of 
danger by any one on board, she dashed upon this rocky bulwark. 
The officers and crew, in the shock and consternation of the mo- 
ment, had barely time to transfer themselves to contiguous por- 
464 



Espirito Santo. 



405 



tions of the promontory, before the shivered frigate went to the 
bottom. Most of those on board were saved by drawing them- 
selves rip, on shelves of the rock, out of the reach of the waves, 
where, in the most constrained position, they were forced to remain 
throughout the dismal night. 

A good light-house has since been constructed upon Cape Frio, 
which at the present time renders the approach of the navigator 
nearly as safe by night as it is by day. 

We pass the Parahiba Eiver, twenty miles from the mouth of 
which is the nourishing town of Campos, formerly called S. 
Salvador. The vast region surrounding this town is known as the 
Campos dos Goyatakazes, or plains of the Goyatakaz Indians, the 
aboriginal inhabitants. It is a rich tract of country, and has, for 
beauty, been compared to the Elysian fields. Campos is situated 
on the western bank of the river. The town has regular and well- 
paved streets, with some fine houses. Its commerce is extensive, 
employing a vast number of coasting-smacks to export its sugar, 
its rum, its cotfee, and its rice. The sugars of Campos are said by 
some to be the best in Brazil. 

Not many leagues beyond the disemboguement of the Parahiba 
we sail along the coast of Espirito Santo. This province embraces 
the old captaincy of the same name, and part of that of Porto 
Seguro. Although this portion of the coast was that discovered 
by Cabral and settled by the first Donataries, yet it is still but 
thinly inhabited, and has not made the improvements that may be 
found in most other parts. Its soil is fertile, and especially adapted 
to the cultivation of sugarcane, together with most of the inter- 
tropical productions. Its forests furnish precious woods and useful 
drugs, and its waters abound with valuable fish. But vast regions 
of its territory are only roamed by savage tribes, who still make 
occasional plundering incursions upon the settlements. Surveys 
have recently been instituted upon the rivers Doce and S. Ma- 
theus, and it is thought practicable to render those streams navi- 
gable to small steamers. Organized companies have had these 
enterprises in charge, and propose to open new and direct means 
of transport between the coast and the province of Minas-Geraes. 
Should this undertaking succeed, it will be of great importance, 

not only to the provinces of Espirito Santo and Minas-Geraes, but 

30 



466 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



also to the city of Bahia, to which large quantities of the produce 
exported would be directly conveyed. 

The distance from Bio de Janeiro to Bahia is about eight hundred 
miles. There is no large city or nourishing port on the coast, nor 
is there a single direct or beaten road through the interior. The 
only author who has ever travelled over this portion of Brazil by 
land is Prince Maximilian of Neuwied. Few naturalists have 
exhibited more enthusiasm, and few travellers more persevering 
industry, than did His Highness in passing through these wild and 
uncultivated regions. It is difficult to form an idea of the impedi- 
ments, annoyances, and dangers which he had to surmount. But 
such was the interest and cheerfulness with which the Prince per- 
formed his journeys, that he described his condition by saying, 
"Although scratched and maimed by thorns, soaked by the rains, 
exhausted by incessant perspiration caused by the heat, never- 
theless the traveller is transported in view of the magnificent 
vegetation." His travels in Brazil were accomplished between the 
years 1815 and 1818, and the rich and interesting work in which 
he gave their results to the world furnishes up to the present day 
the best account we have of the scenery and of the people on this 
section of the coast. ~No part of Brazil has been less agitated by 
the revolutions of the last half-century. Under the present regime, 
there has been a gradual improvement; yet, up to 1839, the whole 
province of Espirito Santo contained not a single printing-press, 
and many of its churches, built with great expense by the early 
settlers, are going to decay. But when we look at recent educa- 
tional statistics, we find that there is progress even in this quiet 
corner of the world. In 1839, there were but seven primary 
schools in the province; but in 1855, the Minister of the Empire 
reports twenty-nine sustained by the Imperial fund, to say nothing 
of those conducted by provincial and private enterprise. Various 
internal improvements are contemplated ; and we hope the day is 
not far distant when Espirito Santo shall have her fertile soil, 
which is so well adapted to the sugar and coffee plants, teeming 
with cultivation. 

Frequent allusion has been made to the aboriginal tribes of Brazil. 
Their history would fill many volumes. The same interest which 
attaches to the Incas and their subjects, to the Montezumas and 



Origin of Indian Civilization. 



467 



the millions over whom they lorded it, does not belong to the tribes 
or nations which inhabited Brazil at its discovery. The few re- 
mains of antiquity which have been reported in the North are doubt- 
less monuments of the Empire of the Incas east of the Andes. 

That erudite and accurate student of Indian antiquities, Mr. 
Schoolcraft, has, I think, clearly shown that the germ of Mexican 
civilization was the cultivation of the maize, which, to produce in 
quantities and in perfection, requires, at least for some months, 
continued labor. Thus the ancient Mexicans, if they were even 
for a short time nomadic, would be recalled to the spot whence 
they drew their principal sustenance. The want of rain either 
called forth efforts for artificial irrigation, or for the construction 
of floating gardens on the lakes which gem the great Valley of 
Azteca. These could not be well abandoned without the greatest 
sacrifice, and thus there grew up insensibly a community, — a settle- 
ment. If the early history of the great Peruvian nation, which 
numbered more than three times the population of Mexico, could 
be known, we should doubtless find that their civilization originated 
in endeavoring to procure food by the cultivation of the rainless 
and arid Pacific sea-coast, by resorting to artificial irrigation. 
When strength of mind and skill were developed, they could push 
their way into a more favored region, driving back other tribes. 
Thus, in time, they extended their conquests, their comparative 
civilization, and their Sabean religion over a territory comprising 
the country from the Pacific coast on the west to the eastern slope 
of the Andes, and from the equator to Valparaiso. 

The tribes of Brazil, however, from the natural irrigation, and 
from the spontaneous products of the forests and plains, had no 
motives to call forth that mental effort for existence which often 
results in civilization. They were not settled ; neither were they 
habitually and widely nomadic, each tribe having certain limits, 
where it remained until driven out by a superior force. The 
plantain, the banana, the cashew, the yam, — above all, the nian- 
dioca, and the more than two hundred species of palms, — furnished 
them food, drink, and raiment. The little cultivation to which 
they attended was that of the mandioca-root, which, when planted 
in burned ground, thrives among the stumps and roots of trees 
without further husbandry. 



468 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



But the most generous gift (to 
which allusion has been made) that 
bountiful Providence gave Brazil is 
the palm-tree. The traveller 
, v a in the interior provinces and 
*L upon the sea-coast away from 
^ Qffi m |g struck by the 
very great application of this "Prince 
of the Yegetable Kingdom" to the 
wants of man. And if the prince 
^ plays so important a part in the do- 
mestic economy of Europeans and 
their descendants, his highness was 
and is servant for general house and 
field work among the aborigines of 
Brazil. To this day it furnishes the 
Amazonian Indians house, raiment, 
food, drink, salt, fishing-tackle, hunt- 
ing-implements, and musical instruments, and 
almost every necessary of life except flesh. Take 
the hut of an Uaupe Indian on one of the afiluents 
of the Bio Negro. The rafters are formed by 
the straight and uniform palm called Leopoldina 
pulchra; the roof is composed of the 
leaves of the Carana palm; the doors 
^ and framework of the split stems of 
the Iriartea exhoriza. The wide 
bark which grows beneath 
the fruit of another species is 
sometimes used as an apron. 
The Indian's hammock, his 
bow-strings, and his fishing- 
lines are woven and twisted 
from the fibrous portions of 
different palms. The comb 
with which the males of some 
of the tribes adorn their 
heads is made from the hard 




JARA-ASSU PALM (LEOPOLDINA MAJOR.) 



The Brazilian Savages Cannibals. 469 



wood of a palm; and the fish-hooks are made from the spines of 
the same tree. The Indian makes, from the fibrous spathes of the 
Manicaria saccifera, caps for his head, or cloth in which he wraps 
his most treasured feather-ornaments. From eight species he can 
obtain intoxicating liquor; from many more (not including the 
cocoanut-palm, found on the sea-coast) he receives oil and a harvest 
of fruit; and from one (the Jard assu) he procures, by burning the 
large clusters of small nuts, a substitute for salt. From another he 
forms a cylinder for squeezing the mandioca-pulp, because it resists 
for a long time the action of the poisonous juice. The great woody 
spathes of the Maximiliana regia are "used by hunters to cook meat 
in, as, with water in them, they stand the fire well (Wallace.) 
These spathes are also employed for carrying earth, and sometimes 
for cradles. Arrows are made from the spinous processes of the 
Patawd, and lances and heavy harpoons are made from the Iriatea 
ventricosa; the long blowpipe through which the Indian sends the 
poisoned arrow that brings down the bright birds, the fearless 
peccari, and even the thick-skinned tapir, is furnished by the 
Setigera palm : the great, bassoon-like musical instruments used in 
the " devil- worship" of the TJaupes are also made from the stems 
of palm-trees 

One would have supposed that a people thus supplied with 
almost every necessity of life would have exhibited gentleness 
and docility, and would have been among the most peaceful of the 
denizens of the New World. On the contrary, the aborigines of 
Brazil were a warlike, ferocious people, unskilled in the usual arts 
of peace, and were of the most vengeful and bloody character. 
Many of these tribes were cannibals : some ate their enemies in 
grand ceremonial; others made war for the purpose of obtaining 
human food; and others still devoured their relatives and friends 
as a mark of honor and distinguished consideration. At this day, 
in the remote interior, on the upper waters of the Amazon, there 
exist, in as wild a state as when South America was first dis- 
covered, tribes whose anthropophagous propensities are as fully 
indulged as if the European had never placed foot upon the conti- 
nent. We would feel inclined to discredit the accounts of all the 
early navigators who touched upon the Brazilian coasts in regard 
to the cannibalism of the natives, were it not that it is fully con- 



470 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



firmed at the present day : forty days' journey (as travellers travel) 
from the mouth of the Amazon up the river Purus, are found the 
Catauixis, and near them other tribes of Indians, who, Mr. "Wallace 
(a thorough and truthful explorer) says, "are cannibals, killing 
and eating Indians of other tribes, and they preserve the flesh 
thus obtained smoked and dried/' 

So far as can be ascertained, there were more than one hundred 
different tribes inhabiting Brazil at the discovery of South America. 



the interlacings of the La Platan and Amazonian sources, where, it 
is surmised, they had their origin : thence they were found upon 
the Marmora, the Madeira, the Tapajoz, and other rivers, down the 
Amazon to the great island of Marajo. This people spoke in effect 
the same language, called by Dr. Latham, in his treatise on the 
languages of the Amazon, the Tupi-Guarani. This learned philolo- 
gist says that as far northward as the equator and as far south as 
Buenos Ayres the Tupi-Guarani language was to be found. Now, 
there were, surrounded by this widely-spread race, numerous tribes 
of other aborigines, who spoke a class of languages totally distinct 
and different: These different tribes, it was ascertained by the 
Jesuits and traders, comprehended, to a certain extent, the Tupi- 
Guarani tongue, though their own languages were so unlike that 
they scarcely had one word in common. The priests, the traders, 
and the slave-hunters pushed their way through these tribes, and 
each, in their widely-different mission, aided in the formation of a 




BOIaCUDO dandy. 



The large majority of these belonged 
to one race, and were called, upon 
the sea-coast, Tupi Tupinaki, Tupi- 
nambi, or something similar, in the 
way of a compound of the root Tup. 
In the South, upon the head-waters 
of the La Plata, they were called 
Guarani. They were most curiously 
situated, dwelling in a narrow belt 
upon the whole sea-coast from the 
mouth of the Amazon down to the 
present province of S. Paulo. Here 
they extended inland to the Para- 
guay, and up its waters and across 



The Ferocity of the Aymores. 



471 




NATIVE PLU G-U G L Y. 



remarkable language, called the Lingoa Geral or Lingoa Franca, 
which was the common vehicle of communication, from the Orinoco 
to the La Plata, among people whose lan- 
guages remain unknown. The trader, 
the scientific explorer, and the Brazilian 
Government official, at this day have 
their intercourse with the savages of 
the Japura, the Parana, the Chingu, 
and the Araguaia, by the Lingoa Geral. 
The basis of this, as already observed, is 
the Guarani or Tupi-Guarani tongue.* 

These surrounded tribes, so to speak, 
occasionally, though rarely, succeeded 
in reaching the coast. Thus, the Ay- 
mores — a cannibal tribe who acquired 
such a terrible celebrity — made their 
appearance upon the sea-shore a long time after the discovery of 
Brazil. The coast-tribes regarded them with horror, and con- 
sidered them as irrational beings, 
ignorant of the construction of 
huts and of the art of adorning 
their persons with the rich plumage 
of the parrot and the gay-painted 
macaw. They had a still more 
distinctive characteristic, that con- 
sisting in an unconquerable fear of 
water, which impeded them from 
following their enemies when they 
swam a river or plunged into a 
lake. They assaulted Porto Seguro 
and the Ilheos with such ferocity 
that Bellegarde says that labor 
ceased on all the plantations for want of workmen who had gone 
to give them battle. They were afterward routed and nearly all 




LIP-ORNAMENT OF THE SOUTH 
AMERICAN INDIAN. 



* Dr. Latham says, "With two exceptions, the distribution of the numerous dia- 
lects and subdialects of the Tupi-Guarani tongue is the most remarkable in the 
world, — the exceptions being the Malay and the. Athabascan tongues." 



472 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



dispersed, and there only remain as their descendants tne Bota- 
cudos, a few hundred of whom still — now peacefully — wander upon 
the banks of the rivers Doce and Bellemonte. These Indians, 
like many of the savages of South America, wear the most absurd 
ornaments of light wood, (the aloe,) which they at pleasure insert 
and take out from slits in their ears and lips. 

But the question naturally arises, What have become of the 
numerous tribes once inhabiting the sea-coast and those provinces 
where now a civilized population most abound ? Where are the 
Tupi-Guarani ? Many wandered to remote parts of the Empire ; 




A BOTACUDO FAMILY ON THE MARCH. 



European diseases and vices, as well as war and the march of 
civilization, swept them from their places. The Guarani of South 
Brazil, under the Jesuits, reached a certain degree of advance- 
ment j but the inhuman Portuguese slave-hunter, who pushed his 
way as far as Bolivia, with ruthless hands broke up the missions 
and led them into captivity, and they soon melted away before 
cruel taskmasters. Of the Tupinambas and the Tamoyos, who 
dwelt in the present provinces of Bio de Janeiro and Minas- 
Geraes, the former were exterminated, and the latter were so 
constantly harassed and defeated in war by the colonists, that, 
though for a long time wanting unanimity, they finally were per- 
suaded by the eloquence of an influential and eminent chief (Jappy 
Assii, — a second Orgetorix) to emigrate to the distant North, — 



Eesemblance of the Aborigines to tiie Dyaks. 473 



then more than three thousand miles from their former home, — 
and they settled upon the southern bank of the Amazon, from 
its confluence with the Madeira, at various points, down to the 
island of Marajo. Their descendants are found this day in the 
country between the Tapajoz and the Madeira, among the lakes 
and channels of the great island of the Tupinambas. They are 
now called the Mandrucus, — the most 
warlike Indians of South America. They 
live in villages, in each of which is a for- 
tress where all the men sleep at night. 
This building is adorned within by the 
dried heads of their enemies decked 
with feathers. These ghastly orna- 
ments have the features and hair per- 
fectly preserved. 

The existing tribes, in their manners 
and customs, are closely allied to our 
North American Indians, with this ex- 
ception : — that the savages south of the 
equator have all been found to be ex- 
ceedingly deficient in any religious idea. 
None of them, when first visited, seemed 
to have the faintest conception of the 
Great Spirit which so strikingly characterized the simple theo- 
logy of the aborigines of the Mississippi and the St. Lawrence. 
Attempts to civilize them have proved abortive except when they 
are held in a state of pupilage, as they were by the Jesuits, or 
under the rigid discipline of the Brazilian army. 

The curious ethnologist will find in the tribes of the Upper 
Amazonian waters the red man who has been untouched by 
civilization. Mr. Wallace — who roamed for some years among 
these sons of the wilderness — has given us much information in 
regard to them, and says that one of the singular facts connected 
with these Indians is the resemblance which exists between some of 
their customs and those of nations most remote from them. Thus, 
the gravatdna or blowpipe reappears in the sumpitan of Borneo; 
the great houses of the Uaupes and Mandrucus closely resemble 
those of the Dyaks of the same country; while many small baskets 




474 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



and bamboo boxes from Borneo and New Guinea are so similar in 
their form and construction to those of the Amazonian Indians 
that they might be supposed to belong to adjoining tribes. Then, 
again, the Mandrucus, like the Dyaks, take the heads of their 
enemies, smoke-dry them with equal care, preserving the skin and 
hair entire, and hang them up around their houses. In Australia, 
the throwing-stick is used ; and on a remote branch of the Amazon 
(the Purus) we see a tribe of Indians (the Purupurus) differing 
from all around them in substituting for the bow a weapon only 
found in such a remote portion of the earth, among a people so 
distinct from them in almost every physical characteristic. 

The aboriginal population is unknown, and there are only about 
nineteen thousand catechized or Christian Indians reported by the 
Minister of the Empire. 

On the ocean-route from Eio to Bahia there are four small islands, 
called the Abrolhos, ("Open your eyes,") which are dangerous pro- 
jections from a bank of rocks that exhibits itself occasionally 
between the seventeenth and twenty-fifth degrees of south lati- 
tude, at a distance of from two to ten leagues from the mainland. 
Besides these, there is also a regular reef of rocks running quite 
near the shore, and generally parallel with it, the whole distance 
from Cape Frio to Maranham. Espirito Santo, Porto Seguro, 
Ilheos, and, in fact, nearly all the ports along the entire coast, are 
formed by openings through this reef. 

After three or four days' steaming, the lower extremity of the 
island of Itaparica, with its numerous palm-trees, looms up in the 
horizon, and but a short time elapses before the eye catches the 
outline of the white domes and towers of Bahia San Salvador, the 
second city of the Empire. 

When the steamer arrived, I was, through the kindness of Sr. 
Nobre, the guarda mor, immediately transferred to the shore in his 
Government-barge. The walls of a circular fort rising from the 
bosom of the water, built by the Dutch, frown upon the shipping; 
while the fortresses on the hills command the harbor and the 
entire city. 

Landing at the Custom-House, I passed into the lower town, 
with its narrow streets (in some places there is but one) running 
parallel to the water's edge. 



The City of Bahia. 



475 



Along the Rua da Praya are located the Alfandega and the Con- 
sulado, through the latter of which all home-productions must pass 
preliminary to exportation. Some of the trapiches (warehouses; 
near by are of immense extent, and are said to be among the 
largest in the world. 

Around the landing-places cluster hundreds of canoes, launches, 
and various other small craft, discharging their loads of fruit and 
produce. On one part of the praya is a wide opening, which is 
used as a market-place. Near this a beautiful spacious modern 
building has been constructed for an exchange. It is well supplied 
with newspapers from all parts of the world, and is in a cool and 
airy situation. The principal commercial houses are situated on 
the Rua Nova do Commercio, and these compose the finest blocks 
of buildings in Brazil, — perhaps in all South America. These 
edifices would adorn the business-portions of London, Paris, or 
New York. 

The lower town is not calculated to make a favorable impression 
upon the stranger. The lofty buildings are nearly all old, although 
generally of a cheerful exterior. The streets in this vicinity are 
very narrow, uneven, and wretchedly paved, and at times as filthy 
as those of New York. At the same time it is crowded with pedlars 
and carriers of every description. You here become acquainted 
with one peculiarity of Bahia. Owing to the irregularities of its 
surface and the steepness of the ascent which separates the upper 
town from the lower, it does not admit the use of wheel-carriages. 
Not even a cart or truck is to be seen for the purpose of removing 
burdens from one place to another. Whatever requires change of 
place in all the commerce and ordinary business of this seaport — 
and it is second in size and importance to but one other in South 
America — must pass on the heads and shoulders of men. Burdens 
are here more frequently carried upon the shoulders, since, the 
principal exports of the city being sugar in cases and cotton in 
bales, it is impossible that they should be borne on the head like 
bags of coffee. 

Immense numbers of tall, athletic negroes are seen moving in 
pairs or gangs of four, six, or eight, with their loads suspended 
between them on heavy poles. Numbers more of their fellows are 
seen sitting upon their poles, braiding straw, or lying about the 



476 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



alleys and corners of the streets asleep, reminding one of black 
snakes coiled up in the sunshine. The sleepers generally have 
some sentinel ready to call them when they are wanted for busi- 
ness, and at the given signal they rouse up, like the elephant to his 
burden. Like the coffee-carriers of Kio, they often sing and shout 
as they go ; but their gait is necessarily slow and measured, re- 
sembling a dead-march rather than the double-quick step of their 
Fluminensian colleagues. Another class of negroes are devoted to 
carrying passengers in a species of sedan-chair called cadeiras. 




PORTERS OF BAHIA. 



It is indeed a toilsome and often a dangerous task for a white 
person to ascend on foot the bluffs on which stands the cidade alta, 
particularly when the powerful rays of the sun are pouring, with- 
out mitigation, upon the head. No omnibus or cab can be found 
to do him service. In accordance with this state of things, he 
finds near every corner or place of public resort a long row of cur- 
tained cadeiras, the bearers of which, hat in hand, crowd around 
him with all the eagerness, though not with the impudence, of 
carriage-drivers in North America, saying, " Quer cadeira, Serihor?" 
("Will you have a chair, sir?") "When he has made his selection, 
and seated himself to his liking, the bearers elevate their load and 
march along, apparently as much pleased with the opportunity of 



Cadeiras and theih Carriers. 



477 



carrying a passenger as he is with the chance of being carried. 
To keep a cadeira or two, and negroes to bear them, is as necessary 
for a family in Bahia as the keeping of carriages and horses is else- 
where. The livery of the carriers, and the expensiveness of the 
curtaining and ornaments of the cadeira, indicate the rank and 
style which the family maintains. 

Occasionally you will 
meet a proud Creole Mina 
n egress, who rejoices in 
the name par excellence 
of the Bahiana. Her 
turban, her shawl, her 
ornaments, and her 
elastic step in the heel- 
ed slipper, display a 
native grace unattain- 
able by modern fashion. 

I regret that I have 
no sketch of Bahia taken 
from the water, — for 
from that point the city 
seems truly magnificent 
in its proportions; but 
the large cut, from a 
daguerreotype, gives a 
view of the religious 
metropolis of Brazil, 
stretching on its ter- 
raced hills around to 
Montserrat. The steep ascent on which we see the cadeira- 
carriers is the same up which Henry Martyn climbed in 1805, so 
graphically described in the journal incorporated in the pages of 
his biography. The lower city, with the exception of the Eua 
Nova do Commercio, has been very little changed since the visit 
of that devoted missionary. 

Some of the streets between the upper and lower towns wind 
by a zigzag course along ravines; others slant across an almost 
perpendicular bluff, to avoid, as much as possible, its steepness. 




478 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Nor is the surface level when you have ascended to the summit. 
JSTot even Eome can boast of so many hills as are here clustered 
together, forming the site of Bahia. Its extent between its 
extreme limits — Eio Yermelho and Montserrat — is about six miles. 
The city is nowhere wide, and for the most part is composed of 
only two or three principal streets. The direction of these 
changes with the various carves and angles necessary to preserve 
the summit of the promontory. Frequent openings between the 
houses built along the summit exhibit the most picturesque views 
of the bay on the one hand and of the country on the other. 
The aspect of the city is antique. Great sums have been expended 
in the construction of its pavements, — more, however, with a view 
to preserve the streets from injury by rain than to furnish roads 
for any kind of carriages. Here and there may be seen an ancient 
fountain of stonework, placed in a valley of greater or less depth, 
to serve as a rendezvous for some stream that trickles down the 
hill above; but nowhere is there any important aqueduct, though 
recent water-works, with steam-engines manufactured in France, 
have been lately erected east of the Noviciado, which will furnish 
a bountiful supply of the potable element to the city. 

In contemplating Bahia from the theatre (the large building on 
the high terrace) we are carried back to the earliest periods of the 
colonial history of Brazil. The old round fort in the midst of the 
waves is an episode of the brief power of Holland in this portion 
of America, upon which Time has made no perceptible change. 

Bahia de Todos os Santos, the Bay of All Saints, was discovered 
in 1503 by Americus Yespucius, who was then voyaging under the 
patronage of the King of Portugal, Dom Manoel. In 1510, a 
vessel under the command of Diogo Alvares Correa was wrecked 
near the entrance of this bay. The Tupinambas, inhabiting the 
coast, fell upon and destroyed all who survived this shipwreck, 
except the captain of the vessel. The Indians spared Diogo, — 
probably, as some supposed, on account of his activity in assisting 
them to save articles from the wreck. He had the good fortune 
to obtain a musket and some barrels of powder and ball. He early 
took occasion to shoot a bird, and the Indians, terrified by the ex- 
plosion no less than by its effects, called him from that moment 
Caramuru, "the man of fire." 



.Romantic History of Caramuru. 479 



He then conciliated their favor by assuring them that, although 
he was a terror to his enemies, he could be a valuable auxiliary to 
his friends. He accordingly accompanied the Tupinambas on an 
expedition against a neighboring tribe with whom they were at 
war. The first discharge of Caramuru's musket gained him 
possession of the field, his frightened adversaries scampering for 
their lives. 

Little more was necessary to secure him a perfect supremacy 
among the aboriginals. As a proof of this, he was soon compli- 
mented with proposals from various chiefs, who offered him their 
daughters in marriage. Diogo made choice of Paraguassu, 
daughter of the head-chief Itaparica, whose name is perpetuated 
as the designation of the large island in. front of the city, while 
that of Paraguassu, the bride, is applied to one of the rivers 
emptying into the bay. He built a hamlet which he denominated 
S. Salvador,* in gratitude for his escape from the shipwreck. 
This settlement was located in a place denominated Graca, on the 
Yictoria Hill, a suburb of the city, still occasionally called Vilha 
Velha, (old town.) 

After the lapse of some years, a ship from Normandy anchored 
in front of Caramuru's town and opened communications with 
the shore. Diogo now determined to return to Europe; and, 
having supplied the vessel with a cargo, he embarked for Dieppe, 
accompanied by Paraguassu. He intended, if he arrived safely, to 
go from Dieppe to Lisbon. The French, however, would not per- 
mit this, but preferred to make him a lion in their own capital. 
Paraguassu was the first Indian female who had ever appeared in 
Paris. A splendid fete was given at her baptism, when she was 
christened Catharine Alvares, after the Queen Catharine de Medicis. 
King Henry II., accompanying his royal spouse, officiated on the 
occasion as godfather and sponsor. 



*In successive editions of the narrative of the " United States Exploring Expe- 
dition" we find the following: — "The city of San Salvador, better known as Rio 
de Janeiro," — which is comparable for accuracy to McCulloch's Geographical 
Dictionary, making the mountainous province of Rio de Janeiro to consist "mostly 
of plains." San Salvador is eight hundred miles north of Rio de Janeiro, and 
San Sebastian — the old name of Rio — has about as much similarity to San Salvador 
as New Orleans has to New York. 



480 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



The French Government contracted with Caramuru to send out 
vessels which should carry him to his adopted country, and return 
with brazil-wood and other articles, which should be given in ex- 
change for goods and trinkets. In the mean time, true to his original 
intent, he contrived to inform Dom John III., of Portugal, of the 
importance of colonizing Bahia. A young Portuguese, who had 
just finished his studies in Paris and was returning to Portugal, 
was the bearer of this message. This young man (Pedro Fer- 
nandez Sardinha) afterward became Bishop of Bahia. 

The natives rejoiced at Caramuru's return, and his colony now 
increased rapidly and extended its influence in every direction. 

At this period the King of Portugal, in order to secure the set- 
tlement of Brazil, divided the country into twelve captaincies, 
each of fifty leagues' extent on the coast, and boundless toward 
the interior. Each captaincy was conceded to a Donatary, whose 
power and authority were absolute. Francisco Pereira Coutinho, 
who came to take possession of Bahia, was a man rash and arbi- 
trary in the extreme. He became jealous of the influence of Diogo 
Alvares, and commenced to persecute and oppress him, and finally 
sent him on board a ship as a prisoner. 

This course exasperated the Indians, who determined on revenge. 
They attacked the settlement and killed Coutinho. Diogo Alvares 
was again restored to his original supremacy. 

The growing importance of the country, together with rumors 
of violence practised by the Donataries, induced Dom John III. to 
appoint a Governor-General of Brazil, to reside at S. Salvador and 
to have jurisdiction over all the Donataries. 

In 1549, Thome de Souza, the first Governor-General, landed with 
military ceremonies at Vilha Yelha, but in the course of a month 
proceeded to choose another location for the commencement of his 
operations. It was that of the present Cathedral, Government 
Palace, and other public buildings. 

Caramuru was now an old man, but was of great service to the 
Governor-General in consummating with the natives a treaty of 
peace. In four months a hundred houses were built, and various 
sugar-plantations were laid out in the vicinity. 

From this period the city of S. Salvador, having been constituted 
the capital of Portuguese America, and remaining under the direct 



Bahia Captured by the Hollanders. 



481 



patronage of the mother-country, rapidly increased in size and 
importance. 

The year 1624 witnessed the first depredations of the Dutch 
upon the then quiet and prosperous cit}^ of Bahia. Without the 
least notice or provocation, a fleet from Holland entered the 
harbor, attacked the city, burned the shipping, and debarked men 
to seize the fortress of S. Antonio, and, after some fighting, gained 
possession of the town. This they sacked, not even sparing the 
churches. The captors immediately erected additidnal fortifica- 
tions and built many new houses. They made prizes of all the 
Portuguese and Spanish ships that came into the harbor not 
knowing that the town had changed masters. 

Portugal was at this time tributary to Spain. The news of the 
loss of Bahia caused great consternation at Madrid, and the more 
since it had been rumored that the English were to unite their 
forces with the Dutch and establish the Elector-Palatine King of 
Brazil. The Spanish court adopted measures worthy of its super- 
stition and its power. Instructions were despatched to the Gover- 
nors of Portugal, requiring them to examine into the crimes which 
had provoked this visitation of the divine vengeance, and to 
punish them forthwith. Novenas were appointed throughout the 
whole kingdom ; and a litany and prayers, framed for the occasion, 
were to be said after the mass. On one of the nine days there was 
to be a solemn procession of the people in every town and village, 
and of the monks in every cloister. The sacrament was exposed 
in all the churches of Lisbon, and a hundred thousand crowns were 
contributed in that city to aid the Government in recovering 
S. Salvador. 

A great ocean-fleet of forty sail, carrying eight thousand soldiers^ 

sailed under D. Fadrique de Toledo and D. Manoel de Menezes, 

which in March, 1625, appeared off the bay; and after some delay, 

the object of which was to learn if the Hollanders had received 

reinforcements, D. Fadrique, satisfied that they had not, entered 

the harbor with trumpets sounding, colors flying, and the ships 

ready for action. The Dutch vessels also, and the walls and forts, 

were dressed out, with their banners and streamers hoisted, either 

to welcome friends or defy enemies, whichever these new-comers 

might prove to be. The city had been fortified with great care , 

31 



482 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



according to the best principles of engineering, — a science in which 
no people had at that time such experience as the Dutch. It was 
defended by ninety -two pieces of artillery, and from, the new fort 
upon the beach they fired red-hot shot. 

After some severe skirmishing, the Dutch, having waited in vain 
for the fleet from Holland, proposed a capitulation, which was 
acceded to. 

*The Hollanders attempted to retake the city in 1638, under 
Mauri tz, Coulrt of Nassau, who was then in possession of Pernam- 
buco and a large portion of the adjoining coast. They were re- 
peatedly defeated at Bahia, but succeeded for a time at other 
points. 

The original attack, on the part of the Dutch, grew out of 
purely mercenary motives. It was planned and executed under 
the auspices of the celebrated West India Company. Proving 
successful at first, the Hollanders did not content themselves with 
plundering the inhabitants, but determined to make the very soil 
their own. Their inroads were manfully resisted by the Portu- 
guese, and the war, at different times, extended along the whole 
coast from Bahia to Maranham. 

In 1636, Mauri tz, Count of Nassau, was sent out to take com- 
mand of the troops and to govern the new Empire. Under his 
direction active measures were set on foot; forts, cities, and 
palaces were built, and the country was explored in search of 
mines. Agriculture was undertaken with a strong hand, and it is 
easy to imagine what changes would have been introduced into 
those fertile regions by the industrious Hollanders, had not the 
fate of war decided against them. In the low ground, the marshes 
and the streams that surround the city of Pernambuco, they would 
have especially gloried. 

But the Brazilians, under their vigilant leaders, Camarao, Hen- 
rique Diaz, (the former an Indian, the latter a negro,) Souto, and 
Yieyra, kept up such incessant attacks upon the Hollanders, that 
at last, in 1654, they were expelled from Pernambuco, and in 1661 
they abandoned, by negotiation, all claim to Brazil. 

It is interesting to think that, whatever motives may have urged 
the commercial Hollanders to attack Brazil, the Christians of that 
brave little Protestant country were not slow to follow up the 



Commerce for the Ransom of Slaves. 



483 



settlements; and hence, in Pernambuco and vicinity, faithful mis- 
sionary stations were established, and, when the Dutch were finally 
driven from the country, some of the clergymen came to New 
Amsterdam, and one of them was the first pastor of the Dutch 
Reformed Church founded at Flatbush, Long Island. 

From this time the Hollanders ceased their attacks on Bahia, 
that city advanced in wealth and prosperity, and was the seat of 
the Yiceroyalty until 1763, when it was transferred to Eio de 
Janeiro. 

The position of Bahia, opposite the coast of Africa, caused it to 
be, from early times, an important rendezvous for those engaged 
in the African slave-trade. The offensive ideas now associated 
with that traffic among all enlightened nations are strangely in 
contrast with the semblance of philanthropy under which it was 
originally carried on. What a worthy enterprise, to send vessels 
to ransom those poor pagan captives and bring them where they 
could be Christianized by baptism, and at the same time lend a 
helping hand to those who had been so kind as to purchase them 
out of heathen bondage and bring them to a Christian country ! 
Expressive of such ideas, the bland title by which the buying and 
selling of human beings was known during the seventeenth and 
eighteenth centuries, was the "commerce for the ransom of slaves." 

Bahia increased in population and wealth, and in 1808 its pros- 
perity was still more augmented by the Carta Regia which opened 
the ports of Brazil to the world. 

This city was the last that remained faithful to Portugal; for, 
though the independence of the Empire was declared in September, 
1822, it was not until July, 1823, and after severe suffering, that 
the Portuguese army evacuated Bahia San Salvador. The rebel- 
lion of 1837 was frightful in the extreme; but the Imperial Go- 
vernment finally obtained the mastery, and from that day to this 
Bahia has continued quiet, and has made rapid strides of im- 
provement. 

I do not think that there is any city in Brazil that so interests 
the foreigner as Bahia. It is the spiritual capital of the country, 
being the residence of the archbishop. The churches, the con- 
vents, and other public buildings, are upon a large scale, and have 
no provincialism in their appearance. The people are gay and 



484 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



social, and in my extended travels throughout the Empire I have 
nowhere found a society equal to that of Bahia. At the house of 
Mr. Gillmer, the American Consul, one is always sure to meet the 
most refined and well-educated Brazilians. This gentleman is one 
of the few American consuls who, by knowledge of the language 
of the land where they reside, by sociability of character and ease 
of manners, and by pride of country, justly represent a great 
nation. Mr. Gillmer has long resided at Bahia, and by his many 
excellent qualities has won the hearts of the Brazilians. The 
weeks spent in his agreeable family gave me an opportunity for 
making many acquaintances among the citizens of Bahia and the 
foreigners resident in that city. The residence of Mr. Gillmer is in 
a delightful portion of the city, where verdure and bloom abound. 
Each night the breezes were laden with sweet odors, and every 
morning the sun seemed to reveal new beauties of opening buds 
and brilliant flowers. The house of Senhor IsTobre was surrounded 



bird. Mr. Gosse calls the long-tailed kind (Trochilus polyturus) the 
gem of American ornithology; and well it deserves the title, if 
we consider the flashes of rich golden green, purplish black, deep- 




by shade and fruit trees, and his large 
salon was weekly filled by amateur 
and professional musicians, who .gave 
the most charming soirees musicales. 



THE LONG TAILED MALE 



HUMMING-BIRD. 



Early one morning I looked from 
a window of the Consul's house, 
and saw, upon the branch of a 
bread-fruit-tree beneath me, a hum- 
ming-bird sitting quietly upon her 
tiny nest. In the midst of the foli- 
age she appeared like a piece of 
lapis lazuli surrounded by emeralds: 
for her back was of the deepest blue. 
Everywhere throughout Brazil this 
little winged gem, in many varieties, 
abounds, while in JSTorth America, 
from Mexico to the fifty-seventh de- 
gree of latitude, it is said that there 
is but one species of the humming- 



American Cemetery. 



485 



bluish gloss, and gorgeous emerald green, which irradiate from this 
winged jewel. 

The males are among the most belligerent of creatures, — rarely 
meeting without having terrible combats 

The city is not, however, so much distinguished for its frequen- 
tation by humming-birds as its bay is celebrated as a " whaling- 
ground." To "fish for whales" is a regular 
business at Bahia, and nearly every week, 
from the numerous terraces, admiring 
thousands can gaze upon the stirring ex- 
citement of capturing these monsters of 
the deep. Why they frequent this port 
I do not know, unless their peculiar food 
abound in its waters. If we descend 
through lime-tree hedges to the Eio V~er- 
melho, we may have an opportunity 
(besides seeing the fixtures for extracting 
oil) of witnessing the triumphant arrival 
of the dead leviathan. Hundreds of TR0CHILU5 P0LYTURUSi 
people — the colored especially — throng 

around to witness the monster's dying struggles, and to procure 
portions of his flesh, which they cook and eat. Yast quantities of 
this flesh are cooked in the streets and sold by quitandeiras. 
Numbers of swine also feast upon the carcass of the whale; and 
all who are not specially discriminating in their selection of pork 
in the market, during the season of these fisheries, are liable 
(nolens volens) to get a taste of something "very like a whale. " 
This whale-fishery was once the greatest in the world. At the 
close of the seventeenth century, it was rented by the Crown for 
thirty thousand dollars annually. 

From the Eio Yermelho we ascend by a winding path to the 
Victoria Hill, passing en route the English and American cemeteries. 
The latter is the only burial-ground in Brazil belonging to the 
citizens of the Union, and our country has long been greatly 
indebted to the courtesy of English consuls for suitable places of 
interment for natives of the United States. This cemetery is the 
result of private generosity, and especially of the energy and 
liberal subscriptions of Mr. Gillmer. It is, however, neither just 





486 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



nor reasonable that he should bear the whole burden. In vain has 
he appealed to our Government for aid in keeping up this resting- 
place for our country's dead; and the result is, that, no allowance 
being granted, the cemetery is in a sad condition. The policy of 
Great Britain is noble in this respect. Everywhere she erects 
chapels and provides cemeteries for her subjects; and, though 
necessarily the United States cannot recognise any connection 
between Church and State, yet a decent place for the burial of the 
dead in foreign countries is a matter of common humanity, which 
demands immediate attention from Government. I have known 
parents in the United States who would have given thousands if 
they could only know the spot where rested the remains of beloved 
sons who, dying in hospitals, were thrust into the common receptacle 
for those whose country had not made provision of a cemetery. 

On the Yictoria Hill may be found the finest gardens that Bahia 
affords, the most enchanting walks, and the most ample shade. 
Here, too, are the best houses, the best air> the best water, and the 
best society. The walls of two ancient and extensive forts also 
add much to the romance and historical interest of the place. 
With its magnificent prospect of blue water and verdant isles, it 
is a spot that combines an external beauty of the rarest quality. 
It was here that Henry Martyn, who incidentally touched at this 
port on his passage to India more than half a century ago, sighed 
and sung, — 

" O'er the gloomy hills of darkness 
Look, my soul; be still, and gaze." 

That the moral aspect of the place has not undergone any very 
great change (unless it be in diminished bigotry and greater indif- 
ference) is not to be presumed, as no causes have been at work 
that contemplated such a change. Everywhere there are still 
evidences which give point to the remark of Martyn: — " Crosses 
there are in abundance; but when shall the doctrines of the 
cross be held up?" 

I looked upon no portion of Brazil with greater interest than 
those walks, gardens, chapels, and convents visited by Henry 
Martyn. The Hospital for Lepers, and the chapel where he gently 
and lovingly, yet firmly, uttered his protest against corrupt religion, 



Henry Martyn in Baiiia. 



48T 



are still standing: the latter, however, is no longer in use. The 
pepper-plantation is torn up, but the clove-trees of which he speaks 
are still flourishing. Some of the convents which he entered are 
now tenantless of their monkish dwellers; for in some respects a 
better day has dawned upon Brazil, and many of these huge build- 
ings, once given up to thriftless, indolent, and vicious orders, are 
now used for colleges, lyceums, libraries, and hospitals. The con- 
vent where the future missionary to Persia alone, as the sun was 
setting and the cloisters were darkened, taught, with Yulgate in 





A CHAPEL VISITED BY HENRY MARTYN. 



hand, "the faith once delivered to the saints" to the curious and 
benighted friars, still lifts its whitened walls, — walls which heard 
his teachings and the prayers which he whispered for the blessing 
of a pure gospel to descend upon Brazil. Have Henry Martyn's 
prayers been forgotten before the Lord of Hosts? AYe love to 
regard the petitions of the early Huguenots at Eio de Janeiro, 
those of the faithful missionaries of the Eeformed Church of Hol- 
land at Pernambuco, and the prayers of Henry Martyn at Bahia, 
as not lost, but as having already descended, and as still to descend, 
in rich blessings upon Brazil. 

My intercourse with Eev. Mr. Edge, the English chaplain, was 
exceedingly pleasant. He was a Cambridge man, and one of en- 
larged and catholic views. The chapel was better filled on the 



488 



1 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



bom, I sketched, under a burning sun, the chapel above, which was 
near the country-seat mentioned by Martyn wire be first s Jh 
clove and the pepper. That first visit of Henry Martyn ia h 
country, away from the house of Antonio Jose Correa, I believe to 
have been where the Hospital of Montserrat is now situated 

The day was beautifully clear, and we rode over a Ion. well 
paved street called the Calcado, which reaches quite into the 
county In the outer suburbs the cocoanut-palm grows in gr a 
pr fusion, and the jaca-tree waves its green, gliLing tSZ 
abov e the -fimte variety of vegetation which adorns this Southern 
land. We passed the Carmelite Convent and went as far as tbe 




N. SENHORA DE MOI 



roa. wh.ch leads to tbe Fever Hospital : here we descended and 
wa ked to the tongue of land called Montserrat, upon which are 
picturesque fortifications, a row of summer-houses,-that of Mr 



View of Bahia from Montserrat. 



489 



Gillmer distinguished by the American flag, — and on the extreme 
point a small Eoman Catholic chapel, more than two hundred years 
old, above the doorway of which I deciphered this inscription : — 
"A Virgem foi concebido sem peccado original." Why Eomanists 
should cling with such tenacity to the dogma of the immaculate 
conception, which contains nothing essential to salvation, I could 
never understand. 

We visited the well-appointed hospital near by, which is intended 
particularly for those who have been smitten with the yellow fever; 
but its attacks have been very light for the last few years, though 
the cholera, in 1855, was quite fatal to the blacks and to the mixed 
population generally. Yet, when we consider that, out of a popula- 
tion of nearly a million in the province, but nine thousand fell 
before the cholera, the percentage is small compared with that of 
New York in 1833, and almost nothing when compared with the 
ravages of the same disease at St. Louis in 1849 and '50. In the 
spring of 1857, the journals of the United States teemed with the 
accounts of the fell swoop of the yellow fever at Bio de Janeiro, 
where for a short time twenty-five persons per diem died. It can be 
proved by actual statistics that no city of equal population in the 
United States has so good a sanitary condition as Eio de Janeiro. 

The view of Bahia from Montserrat is truly magnificent. The 
curving lines of whitened buildings — the one upon the heights, the 
other upon the water's edge — everywhere separated by a broad, 
rich belt of green, itself here and there dotted with houses, — the 
fortress, the shipping, the white-capped waves, over which the 
whale-boats are pursuing their gigantic sport, — the distant isle of 
Itaparica and the blue ocean beyond, — all form a picture which at 
the time fills one with exhilarating delight, and ever after dwells 
in the cabinet of memory a choice and beautiful picture. There 
are few cities that can present a single view of more imposing 
beauty than does Bahia to a person beholding it from a suitable 
distance on the water. Even Eio de Janeiro can hardly be cited 
for such a comparison. The capital excels in the endless variety of 
its beautiful suburbs; but in the Archiepiscopal City beauty is con- 
centrated and presented at one view. In Eio, for pleasant abodes, 
one section competes with another, and each offers some ground 
of preference; but in Bahia, the superiorities seem all to be united 



490 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



in one section, leaving the foreigner no room for doubt that the 
focus is the Victoria Hill. 

Beneath its brow, just on the edge of the bay, is a stately resi- 
dence embowered with cool fruit and flowering trees, where foun- 
tains sweetly murmur in cadence with the musical rippling of the 
waters which break upon the neighboring beach. It may, how- 
ever, distress some of my readers to know that this beautiful place 
is a snuff-factory, where the celebrated area preta is made which 
enjoys a monopoly in Brazil. Snuff-making and snuff-taking were 
found among the aborigines; but this particular snuff was the 
invention of a Swiss from Neufchatel, and from which he acquired 
a large fortune. By his will, after enriching his relatives, he left 
liberal sums for the endowment of hospitals for his native canton, 
and also for benevolent purposes in Bahia. The main establishment 
(there are branches in Rio and Pernambuco) is under the superin- 
tendence of M. Barrelet, of Neufchatel, in whose agreeable family 
I had that intercourse so sweet to the Christian in a foreign land. 

Common-school education at Bahia is upon the best footing in 
the Empire, and the Bahians take great pride in showing the 
statistics of their various institutions. Young Dr. Fairbanks ac- 
companied me one morning through the chief hospital and the 
medical college. In the latter I found that there were nearly three 
hundred students attending the lectures. Some of the professors — 
both natives and foreigners — are men of talent and erudition, and 
the course of instruction is probably equal to that of any medical 
school on the Western continent. In the library connected with 
the institution I saw some very large and very costly volumes on 
anatomy in the Bussian language. They had been recently sent 
out from St. Petersburg, and were in every respect very finely 
gotten up. 

Near by is the old Cathedral, an immense edifice, which has 
been constructed with great expense, and is superior to any church 
in Brazil, unless it may be the unfinished Candalaria of Rio. In a 
wing of this building, from which may be enjoyed a very com- 
manding view of the harbor, is located the public library. It con- 
tains many thousand volumes, a large portion of which are in 
French; and it also possesses some most valuable manuscripts. 

The librarian is the Hon. Chevalier de Lisboa, the accomplished 



National Gala-Days. 491 

scholar and gentleman, who, as Minister-Plenipotentiary, repre- 
sented Brazil at Washington in 1845. I was deeply interested in 
a large and well-illustrated volume shown me by the Chevalier, 
which was an account of the "Dutch in Brazil" and was published 
at Amsterdam before the middle of the seventeenth century. 

In the immediate neighborhood of the Cathedral are the archi- 
episcopal palace and seminary, and the old Jesuit College, now 
used as a military hospital. The latter building, together with 
the Church of JSTossa Senhora da Conceicao, (its steeples are seen on 
the right of the large view of Bahia,) on the Praya, may almost be 
said to have been built in Europe : at least, the principal stone- 
work for them was cut, fitted, and numbered on the other side of 
the Atlantic, and imported ready for immediate erection. The 
President's palace is also but a short distance from this locality. 
It is a substantial building, of ancient date, located upon one side 
of an open square. 

The Presidents of provinces are appointed by the Emperor, and 
his choice is by no means confined to the particular province to be 
governed. Hence Brazilian statesmen are liable to many changes 
of residence : but it may be that there is wisdom in this, for it has 
been said that the selections are thus made of strangers to the pro- 
vince so "that the influence of family connections and personal 
friendships may not prove temptations to partiality in the distribu- 
tion of gifts and emoluments under their control." The President 
is > in fact, a Viceroy with a body-guard ; and it seems to me that 
the appointing-power by which he is elevated to office is one of 
the most conservative elements in the Brazilian Constitution. 

My colleague was at Bahia on the anniversary of the Emperor's 
birth, and his felicitous description of that scene will convey an 
idea of similar celebrations throughout the whole Empire : — 

" The Bahians were preparing to celebrate the birthday of their youthful Em- 
peror, the 2d of December. This anniversary is, throughout the nation, a favorite 
one among the several dias de grande gala, or political holidays. Of these the Bra- 
zilians celebrate six. The 1st of January heads the list with New Year's compli- 
ments to His Majesty. The 25th of March commemorates the adoption of the 
Constitution. The 7th of April is the anniversary of the Emperor's accession to 
the throne. The 3d of May is the day for opening the sessions of the National 
Assembly. The 7th of September is the anniversary of the Declaration of the 
national Independence ; while the last in the catalogue is the 2d of December, the 
Emperor's birthday. On all these days, except the 3d of May, His Majesty holds 



492 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



court in the palace at Rio. Presidents of provinces, as the special representatives 
of the Crown, follow the example of their sovereign, by holding levee in the several 
provincial capitals ; but they do not presume to receive Imperial honors in their 
own person. The place of honor in their sala de cortejo is always allotted to the 
portrait of His Majesty. Near by, as the special representative of the throne, the 
President takes his place, accompanied perchance by the bishop. Before these, in 
measured step, pass the dignitaries invited, in the order of their rank and distinc- 
tion, paying their obeisance severally to the Imperial portrait. After this ceremony, 
mutual compliments are exchanged by the individuals present, and the company 
breaks up. 

" It was no ordinary celebration that was to take place at this time. During the 
recent session of the National Assembly at Rio de Janeiro, it had been more than 
intimated that the Bahians generally were doubtful in their loyalty. Not relishing 
such insinuations, they had resolved to make a display on this occasion which, 
from its unexampled magnificence, should not only demonstrate their fidelity to the 
throne, but should throw even the metropolis into the shade. In addition to the 
usual cortejo, there were to be ceremonies for three successive days and illumina- 
tions for as many nights. On the first day there was to be a grand Te Deum, with 
a sermon ; on the second, a military ball at the palace ; and on the third, an un- 
rivalled exhibition of fireworks, on Victoria Hill, at the Campo de S. Pedro. 

" The 2d of December came. It was not clad in the frosty robes of a Northern 
winter, with whistling winds and drifted snow at its heels. Nay, the North is not 
farther from the South than is the idea many a reader has pictured in his imagina- 
tion at the bare mention of December, from the reality of the day in question. 
Preceded by but a brief interval of twilight, the sun threw upward his mellowest 
rays, burnishing the wreathed clouds of the eastern horizon. Presently from his 
bed of ocean he rose majestic on his vertical pathway, looking down on one of the 
fairest scenes nature ever presented to the eye of man. The boundless expanse of 
the Atlantic on the east, — the broad and beautiful bay on the south and west, with 
its palm-crested islands and circling mountains, — were but an appropriate foreground 
to the lovely picture of the city herself, reposing like a queen of beauty amid the 
embowering groves of the proud eminences over which her mansions, her temples, 
and her lordly domes were scattered. 

" The day was ushered in by the roar of cannon from the several batteries and 
the vessels-of-war. From that moment might be seen the shipping of every nation 
in the harbor, gayly decked with flags, signals, and streamers of unnumbered 
hues. 

"Being much occupied in the morning, I did not reach the Cathedral in time to 
listen to the discourse which preceded the Te Deum, which terminated at three 
o'clock p.m. At this moment there was a discharge of rockets in front of the 
Cathedral and a general salute of artillery from the guns of the forts and shipping. 
The scene was now transferred to the Government Palace, the old residence of the 
Viceroys, where the cortejo took place. At the same time, the troops of the city, 
to the number of two thousand five hundred, were paraded in the Palace Square 
and in the streets leading from the Cathedral to that place. These, together with 
all the other principal streets, had been adorned by silk and damask hangings from 
the windows, — the national colors, yellow and green, being most frequent and most 
admired. The illumination at night throughout the city, but specially at the Pas- 
seio Publico, was, of all other parts of the celebration, most interesting to me. 

" This public promenade of Bahia is located on the boldest and most commanding 



The Public Promenade of Bahia. 



493 



height of the whole town. One of its sides looks toward the ocean, and another 
up the bay, while nothing but an iron railing guards the visitor against the danger 
of falling over the steep precipice by which its whole front is bordered. For 
airiness, this locality is not even surpassed by the Battery of New York, while its 
sublime elevation throws the last-mentioned place into an unfavorable contrast. 
The space allotted to the Battery is greater, but the variety and richness of the 
trees and flowers of the Passeio Publico of Bahia fully compensate for its deficiency 
in this respect. Here it was, under the dark, dense foliage of the mangueiras, the 
lime-trees, the bread-fruit, the cashew, and countless' other trees of tropical 
growth, that thousands of lights were blazing. Most of these hung in long lines 
of transparent globes, — so constructed as to radiate severally the principal hues of 
the rainbow, — and waved gracefully in the evening breeze as it swept along, laden 
with the fragrance of opening flowers. 

"The calmness of a summer evening always throws an enchantment over the 
feelings ; but there was a peculiar richness in this scene. Not only was the ob- 
server delighted with the varied and skilful exhibitions of artificial light around 
him, but, lifting his eyes above them to the vaulted empyrean, he might there gaze 
upon the handiwork of the Almighty, so gloriously displayed in the bright constel- 
lations of the Southern sky. 

" The wealth, fashion, and beauty of the Bahians never boasted a more felicitous 
display than was mutually furnished and witnessed by the thousands that thronged 
this scene. What an occasion was here offered to the mind disposed to philosophize 
on man! From hoary age to playful youth, no condition of life or style of 
character was unrepresented. The warrior and the civilian, the man of title, the 
millionnaire and the slave, all mingled in the common rejoicings. Never, espe- 
cially, had the presence of females in such numbers been observed to grace a scene 
of public festivity. Mothers, daughters, wives, and sisters, who seldom were per- 
mitted to leave the domestic circle, except in their visits to the morning mass, hung 
upon the arms of their several protectors, and gazed with undissembled wonder at 
the seemingly magic enchantments before and around them. The dark and flowing- 
tresses, the darker and flashing eyes, of a Brazilian belle, together with her some- 
times darkly-shaded cheek, show off with greater charms from not being hidden 
under the arches of a fashionable bonnet. The graceful folds of her mantilla, or 
of the rich gossamer veil which is sometimes its substitute, wreathed in some inde- 
scribable manner over the broad, high, and fancy-wrought shell that adorns her 
head, can scarcely be improved by any imitation of foreign fashions. Nevertheless, 
the forte of a Brazilian lady is in her guitar, and the soft modinhas she sings in 
accompaniment to its tones. 

" On the marble monument erected in memory of Dom John's visit to Bahia 
illuminated forms were fitted, and, on this occasion, displayed, in large and bril- 
liant letters, extravagant praise to D. Pedro II. 

" In another quarter, upon a high parapet overlooking the sea and bay, had 
been constructed a fancy pavilion, in the style of an Athenian temple. In front 
of this, supported by the central columns, had been placed a full-length portrait 
of His Majesty. In the saloons of this palacete were stationed bands of music, 
surrounded by ladies and dignitaries of the province. The portrait of the 
Emperor was concealed by a curtain until a given hour of the evening, when the 
President made his appearance, and, suddenly drawing it up, gave successive 
vivas to His Majesty, the Imperial family, the Brazilian nation, and the people 
of Bahia, — all of which were responded to with deafening acclamations from the 



494 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



multitude around, while the heavens above were resplendent with the discharge 
of a thousand rockets. 

"On Wednesday, the festivities of the great national anniversary terminated with 
a pyrotechnic display. The Passeio Publico was illuminated more brilliantly than 
before, and all the gardens surrounding the Campo de San Pedro were lighted up 
with torches and bonfires. A large platform had been erected in the centre of this 
square, upon which the Emperor's portrait was again exhibited, — the Archbishop 
assisting the President to roll up the curtain from before it at the appointed hour. 
The concourse of people was vastly greater than it had been on any previous evening. 
The weather was without interruption serene and beautiful, but neither the plan 
nor execution of the fireworks deserved high commendation. Yet all the bustle and 
crowd passed away, as on the previous nights, without the slightest disturbance. 
This fact was certainly a happy comment upon the orderly disposition of the people. 
I witnessed no funcgdo in Brazil which was, on the whole, more interesting to me 
than this. Its superiority over the exhibitions of the usual religious festivals was 
manifest. In fact, the simple circumstance that it was a civic celebration, and 
destitute of any religious pretensions, went far to commend it to the admiration 
of any one who had often been shocked by those incongruous medleys of the 
solemn and ridiculous which are by many thought essential to the 'pomp and 
splendor' of religious anniversaries." 

Away from the pretty Yictoria Hill, in a portion of the lower 
town, the stranger, among other curiosities, may see what is called 
by its right name, — afabrica de imagens, (image-factory.) It is not 
my intention to enlarge on worship in this city, for it is the same 
as throughout the Empire. Saints, crucifixes, and every species 
of the ghostly paraphernalia of Eomanism, are here exhibited in 
the shops, with a profusion which I nowhere else saw, indicating 
that the traffic in these articles is more flourishing than in other 
parts. It is not in name only that Bahia enjoys the ecclesiastical 
supremacy of Brazil. It is the see of the only archbishop in the 
Empire. Its churches exceed in number and in sumptuousness 
those of any other city; and, its convents are said to contain more 
friars and more nuns than those of all the Empire beside. 

But I cannot pass over this subject without referring to Saint 

Antonio de Argoim, who seems to be the favorite patron of the 

calendar in Brazil. His image is in the Franciscan Convent, and 

his history is as follows: — 

In 1595, a fleet, under the direction of some Lutherans, sailed from France, with 
the intention of capturing Bahia. On their way they attacked Argoim, a small 
island on the coast of Africa belonging to the Portuguese, and, after having com- 
mitted various depredations, carried off, among other sacred things, an image of St. 
Anthony. 

Once more at sea, the fleet was attacked with storms, which sunk several of the 
vessels. Those that escaped this fate were assaulted with a pestilence, during 



The Miracle Explained. 



495 



which, through pure spite toward the Roman Catholic religion, the aforesaid image 
was thrown overboard, having been first hacked with cutlasses. The vessel that 
carried it put into a port of Sergipe, and all on board were taken prisoners. These 
men were sent to Bahia, and the first object they saw on the praia was the very 
same image they had so maltreated. It had been cast up by the waters to 
confront them ! 

A worthy citizen obtained the image and placed it in his private chapel ; but 
when the Franciscans learned what a miracle had happened, they demanded the 
image, and carried it in solemn procession to their convent. So great was its fame 
now, that King Philip ordered the establishment of a grand procession in memory 
of these events. And, strange to tell, popularity did for the image what the 
bitter hostility of the heretics could not do. Its friends, the friars, became ashamed 
of its old and ugly appearance, and laid it aside to make room for a more gaudy 
and fashionable one, which was christened in its name and presumed to be the 
inheritor of its virtues. Having thus been introduced to the citizens of Bahia, 
St. Anthony was now enlisted as a soldier in the fortress near the barra bearing 
his name. 

In this capacity he received regular pay until he was promoted to the rank of 
captain by the Governor, Rodrigo da Costa. The order for his promotion lies 
before me, and is so curious that I give the concluding portion. After referring to 
a vow by the camara municipal, which had been unfulfilled, the Governor says, — 

"Wherefore, and because we now more than ever need the favors of the afore- 
mentioned saint, both on account of the present wars in Portugal, and of those which 
may yet happen in Bahia, the said Chamber has besought me, in commemoration 
of the afore -mentioned vow, to assign to the said glorious St. Anthony the rank and 
pay of a captain in the fortress, where he has hitherto only received the pay of a 
common soldier. 

" In obedience to this request, and subject to the approval of the King, I there- 
fore assign to the glorious St. Anthony the rank of captain in the said fortress, and 
order that the solicitor of the Franciscan Convent be authorized to draw, in his 
behalf, the regular amount of a captain's pay. 

"Rodrigo da Costa. 

"Bahia, July 16, 1705." 

Now, the miracle of S. Antonio was truly notable. But the in- 
vestigations of modern science, and a little more experience, have 
cleared up the mystery. While conversing with a gentleman, not 
a Eomanist, at Bahia, about S. Antonio's singular voyage to the 
coast of Brazil, he gravely, to my surprise, stated that it was 
without doubt a bona fide account that the hacked image had floated 
to the Western world : all could be explained by natural laws. A 
few days afterward he gave me the following, which will doubt- 
less be a novel confirmation of Lieutenant Maury's theories in 
regard to ocean winds and currents. 

" It is not at all surprising that, in those days of gross credulity and ignorance, 
the appearance of the image of Santo Antonio on this coast should have been con- 
sidered as a miracle, performed expressly for the purpose of bringing to condign 



496 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



punishment the 'pirates' for the sacrilegious act they had committed. Of the 
appearance of the image on the beach, and its having floated from Africa, no rea- 
sonable doubt can be entertained ; and, in proof of its entire probability, the follow- 
ing remarkable coincidence may be presented : — 

"About fifteen years ago, the late Visconde do Rio Termelho, a gentleman of the 
utmost veracity, and owner of an extensive fishery on this coast a few miles to the 
north of the harbor of Bahia, near Itapican, declared to the writer of the present 
lines that the figure-head of a vessel, somewhat injured by fire, was brought to his 
residence from the beach (where it had been stranded) and placed on his grounds. 
Shortly after, a painter from the city, engaged in painting the house, on seeing the 
figure immediately recognised it as one he had painted, some months previously, 
for a vessel which had afterward sailed for the coast of Africa, and of whose safety 
great fears were entertained, no news having been received from her. It was sub- 
sequently ascertained that the vessel in question had been burned to the water's 
edge, on the coast of Africa, — the figure-head, singularly enough, having brought 
the first tidings of the disaster. 

" It is likely that the figure-head, being of light cedar, and the pedestal to which 
it was attached, of hard wood with bolts and fastenings of iron, may have floated 
in a nearly upright position, thus presenting a broader surface for the action of 
the northeast trade-winds, and materially accelerating its passage across the 
Atlantic." 

At Rio de Janeiro S. Antonio has long enjoyed the position and 
received the pay of a colonel in the regular army. How he can 
appropriate his salary to himself is difficult for us to understand; 
but it may throw some light on the subject to state that it passes 
through the hands of his terrestrial delegates, — the Franciscan 
monks, — and by a proper application you may see the accounts 
and receipts for his saintship's washing, clothing, &c. 

Traditions respecting St. Thomas's visit to Brazil are very 
common in different parts of the country. Many of them were 
coined by the Jesuits, and they have passed currently among a 
credulous people. Observe the logic with which the renowned 
Simon de Yasconcellos proves that Saint Thomas, certainly, must 
have been in South America. 

"With what show of reason," says the Jesuit, "could the American Indian be 
damned, if the gospel had never been preached to him ? He who sent his apostles 
into all the world could not mean to leave America — which is nearly half of it — out 
of the question. The gospel, therefore, must have been preached there in obedience 
to this command. But by whom was it preached ? It could not have been by either 
of the other apostles, Paul, Peter, John, &c. St. Thomas, therefore, must have 
been the man !" 

£To wonder the Jesuits were able to map out his travels from 
Brazil to Eeru, to find traces of his pastoral staff, crosses erected 
by him, and inscriptions in Greek and Hebrew written by his 



The Commerce of Bahia. 



497 



hand. They even brought his sandals and mantle unconsumed 
out of the volcano of Arequipa. I suppose it was either in going 
or returning that he visited England and preached under the 
Glastonbury Thorn. 

The commerce of Bahia suffered to some extent at the suppres- 
sion of the slave-trade; but it is slowly advancing in legitimate 
channels. The culture of tobacco and of coffee are both increasing. 
Eailways are projected into the interior, and steamers (not to men- 
tion the Government lines) run to the coast-towns in Sergipe and 
Alagoas on the north, and nearly to Espirito Santo on the south. 




DARING NAVIGATION. 



Sr. Martin, former President of the province, deserves great credit 
for his advancement of agriculture, while Senhor Lacerdo, co-ope- 
rating with Messrs. Carson & Gillmer, has done much toward 
advancing the manufacturing-interest. The finest factory in all 
Brazil — perhaps South America — was erected according to the 
plans and under the superintendence of Colonel Carson, an Ame- 
rican of daring energy and genius. During my stay in the province 
of Bahia, one of the pieasantest excursions was my visit to Ya- 
lenca, the seat of the factory. 

It was a cheerful party that accompanied 3Ir. and Urs. Gillmer; 
and the day was so bright that our trip was most agreeable over the 

bay through a fleet of little whale-boats that were in hot pursuit 

32 



498 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



of their spouting game. There were a number of Brazilian gen- 
tlemen on board, who, finding the American Consul making an 
excursion, came and placed their houses at the disposition of him- 
self and companions. About noon we passed the light-house on the 
Moro de S. Paulo, — a beautiful structure, built under the superin- 
tendence of Colonel Carson. We steamed up the river Una to 
Yalenc,a, where the colonel joined us, and we then re-embarked in 
long " dug-outs" in order to ascend the stream to the fabrica. 

In a few moments we were at the foot of roaring rapids, upon 
the borders of which the genius of this enterprising American had 
erected a saw-mill, a window-sash factory, and a planing-machine; 
in addition to which he had constructed a lock, — the first in Brazil, 
— through which our canoes passed. In the sash-factory we saw 
the chief workman, Mr. Foster, from Worcester, Massachusetts. 
This establishment belonged to Br. Bernardini, a Brazilian LL.B., 
who left the judge's bench to enjoy the more lucrative position of 
a manufacturer. At Br. B.'s order, a slave brought down, with 
capital skill, several saw-logs from above the falls. The expertness 
with which he balanced himself and guided in perfect safety his 
clumsy craft was truly admirable, and called forth from our party 
loud huzzas. The manner in which he managed the log illustrates 
the descent of the rapids of the Upper Amazonian affluents. 

We resumed our route, passing up the narrow stream. Upon 
the banks were numerous negresses and mulatresses engaged in 
washing. In looking upon them I thought, for the first time in 
my life, of the nuisance of clothing in matters of manual labor. 
The women (whose glistening rounded limbs were as smooth as 
those of the Greek Slave) were naked to the waist, and the chil- 
dren — some not far from their teens — were in puris naturalibus. 

We arrived at the factory, or, rather, at the factories; for, cluster- 
ing around the large fabrica, whose white walls stand out in bold 
relief from its background of green, are machine-shops, foundries, 
&c. &c. The rattle of the looms, the cheerful smile of the merry 
girls, and the indescribable din and buzz of a factory, made me 
almost imagine myself near Lowell. The operatives, men and 
women, are mostly from the orphan-asylum and foundling-hos- 
pitals. They are under good discipline, and compare in morals 
very favorably with those of the best-conducted factories in our 



Cotton-Factory at Valbnca. 409 

own land. In the foundry I saw the whole operation of modelling, 
moulding, and finishing, performed by negroes. The foreman of 
the foundry is a Brazilian negro, trained by Mr. Carson, and the 
most intricate machinery is here manufactured. 

Extensive buildings were still going up to facilitate the manu- 
facture of cotton cloths, which are of finer quality than those 
turned out at St. Alexio; and it is gratifying to state that this 
factory can scarcely meet the demand, and, doubtless, in a few 
years Messrs. Lacerdo & Co. will be amply rewarded for their im- 
mense outlay. I here found a millwright (Mr. E. A. Eandall) from 
Scituate, RI * 




THE VALENCA FACTORY. 



After a sumptuous and truly tropical dinner, the gentleman- 
portion of our party sallied forth for an excursion, the end of 
which was to find a suitable place to sketch the immense factory. 



* It seemed truly out of place, in this distant corner of the world, to read the 
names of machinists of the United States, whose workmanship was here benefiting 
a people speaking another tongue. The following are some of the names which 
I copied from inscriptions on the machinery: — C. Lewis, New York, drilling-lathe; 
D. Dicks, Hadley Falls, Mass., antifriction press or punch; S. Jones, Boston, im- 
proved shears ; C. F. Pike, Providence, R.I., iron-planer ; J. & S. W. Putnam & Co., 
Fitchburg, Mass., bolt-cutter. There were other machines, by J. Peck, Coventry 
Factory, (Anthony's,) R.I., and by Thayer, Houghton & Co., Worcester, Mass. 



500 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



The point de vue was well chosen but each of us carried away a 
piece of the foreground, in an innumerable quantity of garapatos, 
which small insects — resembling very diminutive spiders — clung 
to our garments with a most tenacious hold. Each one of these 
little fellows produces a boil j and, in some parts of Brazil, cattle 
in a long dry season — the insect cannot survive a drenching — 
have sometimes perished by the sores thus created. I hastened to 
the house, plunged into a bath of hot water, and then was rubbed 
down with a pint of rum, — more of the article, by three gills, 
than ever before had been applied to my physique, either exter- 
nally or internally. This effectually stopped the depredations 
which had begun. 

Early the next morning, Mr. Bandall and I went to the spot 
where two of our countrymen were buried. Three Americans 
came out together, and he alone was left. He feelingly recounted 
to me the circumstances of their death as we passed up a narrow 
path to their resting-place. The graves were under the deep shade 
of two jaca-trees, and over them small obelisks had been erected. 
It was to me a solemn scene in that early morning hour. 

After breakfast, Mr. G-illmer, Mr. Pointdexter, a young Pole, and 
myself, went up the river to see an upper waterfall. The shrubs, 
the dead stumps, and the lofty trees on the banks seemed bloom- 
ing with orchidaceous plants. Bich cabinet- woods also abound in 
the forest. At Bahia, the Visconde Fiaz and Senhor Yiana (brother 
of the chief collector of customs at Bio) showed me, at their re- 
sidences, some of the finest specimens of furniture, made from 
native woods, that I ever saw. "We finally reached the fall, which 
resembles a miniature Niagara. The river Una here pours over a 
ledge of rocks in such volume that it has been computed there is 
enough water-power to drive one hundred factories of five thou- 
sand spindles each. 

On our return from our visit to the fabrica, we accepted the 
hospitality of Senhor Bernardini, who gave us a splendid dinner. 

We were accompanied to the city by Colonel Carson, whom I 
found a most interesting man of intelligence and common sense. 
His life had been a wandering one. He came out to Brazil to 
die; but the delicious climate made him a new man, and he had 
truly "gone ahead," — building saw-mills, light-houses, factories, 



Cottons from "York Mills," Saco, Maine. 501 

and had been abroad, for the Provincial Government, to investi- 
gate the sugar- plantations of the West Indies and the States on 
the Mexican Gulf, for the purpose of promoting the growth of 
sugar in Bahia. He gave me much information concerning the 
trade that might be between the United States and Bahia. In that 
second port of Brazil we have been annually losing ground. But 
many articles — for instance, cottons, hardware, leather, soaps, &c. 
&c. — might be introduced with advantage. The specimens of 
leather from J. Chad wick, Esq., of Newark, — the same found in 
the shoes of Mr. Boynton, — and the samples of cutlery and carving 
sent out by Mr. Garside, also of Newark, attracted, by the excel- 
lence of their quality, much attention at Eio ; and the same may 
be said of the rope and rope-yarn manufactured at the Excelsior 
Works by Mr. H. Webber & Co. All of these articles, and many 
others, if properly managed, might be exported to Brazil, whose 
trade would really be worth as much as all the remainder of South 
America if we only had it in our possession. Formerly, large 
quantities of common drillings were exported from the United 
States to Bahia, from the York Mills, Saco, Maine, and were held in 
great favor by the Brazilians. This article was actually imitated 
at Manchester, England, and sent out to Bahia with the stamp, 
"York Mills, Saco, Maine," and sold as such. But, though well 
sized and fair-looking, it soon proved worthless and fell into dis- 
repute, and the Brazilians to this day believe that the Yankees 
cheated them. In England, common cottons cannot be made 
equal to those manufactured in the United States, because the 
price of the raw article is too high, and the best cotton is con- 
sumed for fine goods, and only the " waste" for the coarser; 
whereas, in the American factories as good a raw article is used 
for the coarse cloth as for the finer textures. 

Brazil annually consumes many million yards of cotton cloths, 
both plain and printed. She only produces about three million 
yards : the rest must be supplied from abroad. We honor fair 
and honorable competition ; we admire the perseverance of John 
Bull in all that is good, and would have our own merchants 
imitate the latter quality and that only, and endeavor to have at 
least a fair share in the trade with Brazil, so that we may n^t 
annually have a cash-bill of fifteen millions of dollars against us 



502 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



when our productions are needed by the growing Empire of the 
South. Let our far-seeing commercial men turn their attention in 
this direction, and, by judicious measures, secure a foothold. 

Just after nightfall our little steamer was again at the wharf, 
and all returned home, delighted with the excursion to Yalen§a. 

Before leaving the subject of Bahia, it becomes me to mention — 
without entering into particulars — that my Bible-labors there, as 
elsewhere throughout the Empire, were successful; and I pray 
that the seed sown, where were Henry Martyn's first missionary 
efforts on foreign ground, may be prospered by Him who openeth 
and no man shutteth, and who takes care of His own word. 



CHAPTEE XXV. 



DEPARTURE FROM BAHIA THE VAMPIRE-BAT — HIS MANNER OF ATTACK — THE 

BITTEN NEGRO ANNOYANCES MAGNIFIED — ANACONDAS ONE THAT SWALLOWED 

A HORSE THE MARMOSET PROVINCE OF ALAGOAZ — THE REPUBLIC OF PAL- 
MARES PERNAMBUCO THE AMENITIES OF QUARANTINE-LIFE IMPROVEMENTS 

AT THE RECIFE PECULIARITIES OF PERNAMBUCAN HOUSES BEAUTIFUL PANO- 
RAMA — VARIOUS DISTRICTS OF THE CITY — A BIBLE-CHRISTIAN — EXTRAORDINARY 
FANATICISM OF THE SEBASTIANISTS — COMMERCE OF PERNAMBUCO THE POPULA- 
TION OF THE INTERIOR — THE SERTANEJO AND MARKET-SCENE — THE SUGAR AND 

COTTON MART THE JANGADA PARAHIBA DO NORTE NATAL CEARA — THE 

PAVIOLA TEMPERATURE AND PERIODICAL RAINS — THE CITY OF MARANHAM 

JUDGE PETIT'S DESCRIPTION THE MONTARIA — DEPARTURE. 




O the North ! Leav- 
ing the pleasant city of Bahia, we again 
turn our faces toward the Amazon. Our 
steamer glides rapidly over a summer sea, and, though we visit 
province after province, we cannot dwell long upon their scenery 
and condition, for in both they are very similar to some of the 
lesser divisions of the Empire which we have already considered. 
The monotony of the voyage is broken up by tinkling guitars, 
merry singing, and eloquent speaking. We have embryo states- 
men on board j military officers with fierce moustaches and high- 

503 



504 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



sounding titles; medical students returning to Sergipe, Alagoaz, 
Pernambuco, and Parahiba ; witty, sallow, dirty sertanejos ; black- 
eyed senhoras ; and two or three tonsured, gambling padres. All 
form a fit audience; and the vociferous apoiados, apoiadidissimos, 
encourage the maiden efforts of the orators, and beguile the time 
as we steam along the low coqueiro-lined coast. 

A hazy bank of fog hanging in the distant horizon indicates the 
mouth of the great Eio San Francisco, and the boundary-line 
between the provinces of Sergipe and Alagoaz. Sergipe is thinly 
populated : but in the eastern portion a considerable quantity of 
sugar and tobacco is cultivated ; while the western districts are 
devoted chiefly to the rearing of cattle. 

In another chapter I have spoken of the annoyances to which 
herds are sometimes subject from the little chigoes. The younger 
portions of the herds have in some places a more formidable enemy 



reports of early travellers and the figurative language of poets, 
so long discredited, are found to be much nearer the truth than 
the world has believed. Morning after morning have I seen 
beasts of burden, once strong, go staggering, from loss of blood 
drawn during the night by these hideous monsters. In almost 
every instance they had taken the life-current from between the 
shoulders, and, when they had finished their murderous work, the 
stream had for some time continued to flow. The extremities, 
however, are the usual points of attack ; and the ears of a horse, 
the toes of a man, and the comb of a cock, are choice morceaux 
for the display of the vampire's phlebotomizing propensities. 




THE VAM PI RE-BAT. 



in the huge vampire-bat. The 
owner of large possessions in the 
northwestern part of Goyaz said 
he could not rear cattle with any 
success or profit, from the havoc 
committed among his calves by 
the winged demons the vam- 
pires. I have often had my own 
horses and mules bled and sucked 
by these sanguinary phyllostomina. 
They abound from Paraguay to 
the Isthmus of Darien ; and the 



The Vampire-Bat. 



505 



The exact manner by which this bat manages to make an inci- 
sion has long been a matter of conjecture and dispute. The 
tongue, which is capable of considerable extension, is furnished at 
its extremity with a number of papillse, which appear to be so 
arranged as to form an organ of suction, and their lips have also 
tubercles symmetrically arranged. These are the organs by which 
it is certain the bat draws the life-blood from man and beast, and 
some have contended that the rough tongue is the instrument em- 
ployed for abrading the skin, so as to enable it the more readily to 
draw its sustenance from the living animal. Others have supposed 
that the vampire used one of its long, sharp, canine teeth to make 
the incision, which is as small as that made by a fine needle. Mr. 
Wallace says that he was twice bitten, — once on the toe, and a 
second time on the tip of the nose. "In neither case," writes that 
explorer, "did I feel any thing, but awoke after the operation was 
completed. The wound is a small round hole, the bleeding of which 
it is very difficult to 
stop. It can hardly be 
a bite, as that would 
awake the sleeper: it 
seems most probable 
that it is either a 
succession of gentle 
scratches with the 
sharp edge of the 
teeth, gradually wear- 
ing away the skin, or 
a triturating with the 
point of the tongue 
till the same effect is 
produced. My brother 
was frequently bitten 
by them ; and his opi- 
nion was that the bat applied one of its long canine teeth to the 
part, and then flew round and round on that as a centre, till the 
tooth, acting as an awl, bored a small hole, — the wings of the bat 
serving at the same time to fan the patient into a deeper slumber. 
He several times awoke while the bat was at work, and, though 




HEAD OF THE VAMPIRt 



SIZE OF LIFE. 



506 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



of course the creature immediately flew away, it was his impression 

that the operation was conducted in the manner above described." 

There is much in the dental arrangement of these phyllostoma to 

make this seem plausible. The molar teeth of the true vampire 

or spectre bat, are of the most carnivorous character, — the first 

being short and almost plain, and the others sharp and cutting 

and terminating in three and four points. Notwithstanding this, 

that most accurate naturalist and observer — Dr. Gardner — is of the 

opinion that it wounds its victim in a manner entirely different 

from the foregoing description. He says that, 

"Having carefully examined, in many cases, the wounds thus made in horses, 
mules, pigs, and other animals, — observations that have been confirmed by informa- 
tion received from the inhabitants of the northern part of Brazil, — I am led to be- 
lieve that the puncture which the vampire makes in the skin of animals is effected 
by the sharp, hooked nail of its thumb, and that from the wound thus made it ab- 
stracts the blood by the suctorial powers of its lips and tongue." 

Some of these bats measure two feet between the tips of their 
wings. There are some persons whom a vampire will not touch, 
while others are constantly victimized. The alligator-riding 
Waterton states that for eleven months he slept alone in the loft 
of a wood-cutter's abandoned house in the forest, and, though the 
vampires came in and out every night, and hovered over his 
hammock, yet he could never have the pleasure of being bitten, 
— which amusement he doubtless would have foregone if he had 
had the experience of Mr. Wallace, who says that a wound on the 
tip of the toe is very painful, rendering a shoe unbearable for 
several days, and "forces one to the conclusion that, after the 
first time for the curiosity of the thing, to be bitten by a bat is 
very disagreeable." 

There are instances in Northern Brazil where individuals for 
whom the bat entertained a great predilection had to be removed 
to a different portion of the country, where the bloodthirsty ani- 
mals did not abound. One of Mr. Wallace's party — an old negro — 
was constantly annoyed with them. He was bitten almost every 
night ; and, though there were frequently half a dozen persons in 
the room, he would be the party favored by their attentions. 
"Once," Mr. Wallace writes, "he came to us with a doleful counte- 
nance, telling us he thought the bats meant to eat him up quite, 
for, having covered up his hands and feet in a blanket, they had 



Annoyances Magnified. 



507 



descended beneath his hammock of open network, and, attacking 
the most prominent part of his person, had bitten him through a 
hole in his trousers !" 

While enumerating the various insects, reptiles, and vicious 
animals of Brazil, the reader who has not visited that land would 
be led to the belief that it is impossible to stir a foot without 
being affectionately entwined by a serpent, sprung upon by a 
jaguar, or bitten by a rattlesnake. In your fancy every bush 
swarms with chigoes ready to en- 
graft their stock upon your legs, 
every cranny contains a scorpion 
waiting to ensconce himself in your 
pantaloons, and every pool is filled 
with electric eels prepared to give you 
a shocking reception. I can only say 
that, when travelling on the sea-coast 
and in the interior, I never was more annoyed by insects than I had 
been in the southwestern portion of the United States; and that, 
with a moderate degree of care, you may journey fifty days with- 
out experiencing any thing more deadly than the 
bite of a mosquito. The sand-flies call forth more 
complaints from naturalists and travellers than do 
either serpents, scorpions, or centipedes; and yet all 
of these are more or less found throughout the 
interior. But difficulties only seem insurmountable 
in the distance : they disappear when looked boldly 
in the face, and do not affect the tourist and the 
naturalist one-tenth as much in reality as in antici- 
pation. 

In this connection a few words may be devoted 
to the anaconda, the largest of the ophidian family. 
I confess myself to have been incredulous in regard to the 
powers and capacities of this huge reptile until I went to Brazil, 
and I have no doubt that I shall, in the opinion of some, add a few 
pages to the innumerable " snake-stories." 

The enormous anaconda, (Eunectes murinus,) or sucuruju of the 
natives, (a portrait of which forms the initial letter of this chapter,) 
inhabits Tropical America, and particularly haunts the dense forests 





508 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



near the margin of rivers. The boa-constrictor, the jiboa of the 
Indians, is smaller and more terrestrial. The first of these crea- 
tures which I saw was a young one belonging to a gentleman in 
the province of S. Paulo. I afterward saw one in the province 
of Eio de Janeiro that measured twenty-five feet. Mr. ]S"esbitt, 
the engineer who took the Peruvian Government steamers to the 
upper affluents of the Amazon, informed me that he shot, on the 
banks of the Huallaga, an anaconda which measured twenty-six feet 
seven inches. An Italian physician at Campinas (S. Paulo) gave 
me an account of the manner in which the sucuruju, or anaconda, 
took his prey. 

The giant ophidian lies in wait by the river-side, where quadru- 
peds of all kinds are likely to frequent to quench their thirst. He 
patiently waits until some animal draws within reach, when, with a 
rapidity almost incredible, the monster fastens himself to the neck 
of his victim, coils round it, and crushes it to death. After the un- 
fortunate animal has been reduced to a shapeless mass by the pres- 
sure of the snake, its destroyer prepares to swallow it by sliming 
it over with a viscid secretion. When the anaconda has gulped 
down a heifer (by commencing with the tail and hind-feet brought 
together) he lies torpid for a month, until his enormous meal is 
digested, and then sallies forth for another. The doctor added 
that the sucuruju does not attempt the deglutition and digestion of 
the horns, but that he lets them protrude from his mouth until 
they fall off by decay. It had been said by some casual observers 
that the anaconda dies after swallowing a large animal, that the 
buzzards seen near him eat him up; but the doctor added that 
close observation showed that this statement was entirely erroneous. 
However, the vultures were always the close attendants of the 
sucuruju, to aid him in the delivering of his faeces. As to the 
amount of credence due to the statements of Dr. B., relative 
to the horns of the swallowed animal and the peculiar mid- 
wifery of the buzzards, I leave the reader to form his own opinion; 
but the facts are incontrovertible in regard to the capacity of the 
anaconda to swallow animals whose diameter is many times 
greater than its own. Of all the travellers and explorers whose 
writings I have read, "Wallace and Gardner are the most moderate 
in their accounts as eye-witnesses, and are most particular to re- 



The Snake that Swallowed a Horse. 509 



cord nothing of which they were not fully persuaded after patient 
and careful investigation. Mr. Wallace says "it is an undis- 
puted fact that they devour cattle and horses/' In the province 
of Goyaz, Dr. Gardner came to the fazenda of Sape, situated at the 
foot of the Serra de Santa Brida, near the entrance to a small 
valley. This plantation belonged to Lieutenant Lagoeira. Dr. G. 
remarks that in this valley and throughout this province the ana- 
conda attains an enormous size, sometimes reaching forty feet in 
length : the largest which he saw measured thirty-seven feet, 
but was not alive. It had been taken under the following circum- 
stances: — 

"Some weeks before our arrival at Sape," writes Dr. Gr, "the favorite riding- 
horse of Senhor Lagoeira, which had been put out to pasture not far from the 
house, could not be found, although strict search was made for it all over the 
fazenda. Shortly after this one of his vaqueiros, (herdsmen,) in going through the 
wood by the side of a small stream, saw an enormous sucuruju suspended in the 
fork of a tree which hung over the water. It was dead, but had evidently been 
floated down alive by a recent flood, and, being in an inert state, it had not been 
able to extricate itself from the fork before the waters fell. It was dragged out 
to the open country by two horses, and was found to measure thirty-seven feet in 
length. On opening it, the - bones of a horse in a somewhat broken condition, and 
the flesh in a half-digested state, were found within it : the bones of the head were 
uninjured. From these circumstances we concluded that the boa had swallowed the 
horse entire. In all kinds of snakes the capacity for swallowing is prodigious. I 
have often seen one not thicker than my thumb swallow a frog as large as my fist ; 
and I once killed a rattlesnake about four feet long, and of no great thickness, 
which had swallowed not less than three large frogs. I have also seen a very slender 
snake that frequents the roofs of houses swallow an entire bat three times its own 
thickness. If such be the case with these smaller kinds, it is not to be wondered 
at that one thirty-seven feet long should be able to swallow a horse, particularly 
when it is known that previously to doing so it breaks the bones of the animal by 
coiling itself round it, and afterward lubricates it with a slimy matter, which it has 
the power of secreting in its mouth." 

Near Sape many of the marmoset monkeys abound, and a very 
small species, sometimes called the ouistiti, (Jacchas auritus,') is 
exceedingly nimble, and not wanting in beauty. 

The Brazilian girls are fond of pets ; and, among others, a great 
favorite is this ouistiti, which is rarely ever seen out of Brazil, 
even in the best zoological collections. It has a skin like chinchilla 
fur, and its face presents none of the repulsive features of other 
monkeys. These little animals become very tame and sleep upon 
the lap or shoulders of their mistress. Their actions are most 
graceful and rapid. Two that a friend of mine embarked for the 



510 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



United States could mount the ship's ropes ten times as rapidly 
as the nimblest sailor. If birds came on board, they hunted them 
from rope to rope, and passed along under the spar upon which 
their victim sat, and then pounced upon it with certain aim. In 
their native forests they are very fond of insects, Avhich they catch 
with great expertness. They are excessively timid when roughly 
handled: one of the two referred to was teased by the sailors, and 
in consequence died in convulsions. It was pitiful to see the other 




THE MARMOSET. 

look at himself in a glass, making a plaintive noise and licking the 
reflection of his own face. They were so small that a square cigar- 
box, the length of one "Havana," contained them both. With 
great care the surviving ouistiti was kept alive through a Northern 
winter. His food was bread, sponge-biscuit, apples, and now and 
then a chicken's neck or a mouse. It was curious to see him 
devour the latter. He began at the snout and carefully pushed 
back the skin, eating the bones and every thing until he reached 
the tail, which was all that he left inside the skin. His last effort 
was to aid in erecting a parsonage, by being exhibited at a fair for 
that purpose. But his benevolence was too much for him: the little 
fellow pined and died, after having endured a succession of fits; and 
his end was doubtless hastened by the breath of his numerous 



The Province of Alagoas. 



511 



visitors, and by an escape of gas in the chamber where he was 
kept; for the delicate monkeys in the London Zoological Gardens 
were all killed by being in a room with a stove. An open grate 
was substituted, and their successors escaped. 

Next to Sergipe in our northward route is the small province of 
Alagoas. It derives its name from the lake — or, strictly speak- 
ing, the inlet — on which stands its old capital, the city of Alagoas. 
The principal seaport of the province is Maceio. Into this port we 
entered, after a passage of about thirty-six hours from Bahia. As 
we bore up to land in the morning after our second night at sea, 
we found the coast very flat, sometimes exhibiting a sandy beach, 
and anon banks of eighty or ninety feet elevation, denominated, 
from their prevailing color, the Eed Cliffs. We approached so near 
these cliffs as to perceive distinctly their stratification, which 
resembled successive layers of brick. 

The most favored island of the Southern seas can hardly present 
a more lovely aspect than does the harbor of Maceio. The port is 
formed by a reef of rocks visible at ebb-tide, which runs north and 
south for a sufficient distance in a right line, and seems to form an 
angle with an extreme point of land on the north. From the same 
point the beach sweeps inward in the form of a semicircle. The 
sand on this beach exhibits a snowy whiteness, as if bleached by 
the foam of the ocean-waves that unceasingly dash upon it. 

A little back from the water is a single line of white houses, em- 
bowered here and there by groves of majestic coqueiros, whose 
noble fruit, clustered amid their branching leaves, might be 
thought to resemble jewels set among the plumes of a coronet. 
Upon a hill-side, some distance in the rear, stands the city, con- 
taining a population of about six thousand. 

My visit to Maceio was most agreeable, connected as it was with 
the sympathizing Brazilians and others who were glad to receive 
the Word, and who gave me many pleasant assurances that the 
sojourn of my co-laborer and predecessor had not been forgotten. 
One old man, with tears in his eyes, referred to Dr. Kidder's visit, 
and aided me in the dissemination of the Truth. 

Maceio is the depot of large quantities of cotton and sugar which 
are brought down from the interior. Good brown sugar can be 
purchased at Maceio for two dollars and fifty cents per hundred- 



512 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



weight, and the planters admit that they can raise sugar at a profit 
at a market-price of less than two dollars per hundredweight. 

This province, fifteen years ago, was in a constant state of 
turmoil; but for the last ten years it has settled down into quiet- 
ness, and is advancing with the general improvement of the Empire. 

After leaving Maceio, we pass along a coast interesting in the 
history of the past. Before us we see Cape St. Augustine, which 
was the first portion of the New World discovered south of the 
equator. Our track is that over which, in early times, sailed Caven- 
dish and Lancaster, the great English freebooters, who devastated 
the Brazilian coast-towns in 1591 and '93. Here, too, passed the 
ships of Lord Cochrane and Admirals Taylor and Jewett, two Eng- 
lishmen and an American in the service of Brazil, who by their 
bravery and skill defeated the Portuguese fleets and did much to 
secure the Northern cities to the new regime. 

In the interior, about sixty miles from Porto Calvo, there was a 
curious community, hidden away amid groves of palm-trees, having 
a regular military and priestly government, and known as the Re- 
public of Palmares. It seems almost like romance to read of a set- 
tlement composed of fugitive slaves, who were perfectly organized, 
and from time to time went forth on predatory excursions, carrying 
off treasure and cattle, and taking captive the wives and daughters 
of the Portuguese and then exacting a heavy ransom. 

They had villages and towns; and, in addition to their marauding 
sallies, they carried on a regular trade with some of the colonies. 
They flourished for sixty years; and such, at length, became their 
audacity that regular war was declared against them, and for months 
the Portuguese sustained the severest contest that they had ever 
been obliged to undertake west of the coast. The little State was 
heroically defended; but when, after it had gallantly held out 
against great odds, cannon were brought to the aid of the besiegers, 
the Eepublic of Palmares fell. When all hope was gone, the leader 
and the most resolute of his followers retired to the summit of a 
high rock within the enclosure, and, preferring death to slavery, 
threw themselves from the precipice, — men worthy of a better fate 
for their courage and their cause. 

In its consequences to the vanquished, this victory resembled those 
of the inhuman wars of antiquity. The survivors of all ages and of 



The Republic of Palmares. 



513 



either sex were brought away as slaves. A fifth of the men were 
selected for the Crown : the rest were divided among the captors as 
their booty, and all who were thought likely to fly, were trans- 
ported to distant parts of Brazil, or to Portugal. The women and 
children remained in Pernambuco, being thus separated forever 
from their husbands and their fathers. 

Twelve hours after we had left Maceio, the towers and domes of 
the Recife, or Pernambuco, appeared, like those of Yenice, to be 
gradually rising from the sparkling water. Far to our right, on a 
bold and verdant hill, we could descry the suburb called Olinda, 
(translated the beautiful,') seeming like a rich mosaic of white towers, 
vermilion roofs, bright green palm-trees, and bananeiros. It is, 
however, in this case distance that lends enchantment to the 
view; for Olinda, whose inhabitants once looked down in contempt 




THE JANGADA, AND THE ENTRANCE TO PERNAMBUCO. 

upon their commercial neighbors of the Recife, is now in decay. 
The law-school, with its three hundred students, has been trans- 
ferred to Pernambuco, and this once valiant capital of the 
equatorial colonies of Portugal is now going rapidly to decay. 
Olinda deserves to be regarded as S. Yincente, and the two 

places may be considered as exhibiting the classic remains of the 

33 



514 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



colonial system of Portugal. Olinda, however, reminds us nearly 
as much of the Dutch as it does of the Portuguese, being known 
in the annals of Holland as the ancient Mauritius, upon which the 
ambitious Count of Nassau staked his fortune and his fame. 

As we drew near to Pernambuco, the warehouses and the ship- 
ping presented the features of a large commercial town, and the 
resemblance between it and the silent Queen of the Adriatic no 
longer forced itself upon the beholder. The waves outside of the 
curious reef, (recife,) or natural breakwater, were dotted with 
lateen-sailed jangadas or catamarans, and the proprietors of these 
dancing rigged rafts seemed literally at sea "on a log." 

Our steamer came proudly up to the fierce little fort and white 
pharo that (so low is the reef) apj^eared to rise from the water. 
We anchored on the seaward side of the fortress and awaited with 
anxious expectation the visit of the health-boat. Every passenger, 
from the wild matuto (forester) and sertanejo to the dignified 
medico and the vain officer of the Imperial army, was rejoicing at 
his approaching liberation. The health-boat came bobbing around 
the fort, and we had the satisfaction of hearing that we should be 
quarantined for ten days on an island four miles west of the city. 
There was really no necessity for this, for our health-bill from 
Maceio was immaculate. It is needless to narrate our adventures 
in getting to the quarantine; our navigation on a jangada; how 
fifty persons were quartered in four rooms (comfortable for eight 
individuals) which would have been unbearable except for the 
capital ventilation through the arched tiles; how merry we were, 
and contented, under the circumstances; how we were refreshed 
by cocoanut-milk and bracing breezes; how I had opportunities 
for doing good; how we were all liberated and a hundred more 
put into our places; and how kind was my reception (when I was 
permitted inside of Pernambuco) by Mr. Samuel Johnson and Mr. 
Hitch, (the heads of two houses, English and American.) All this 
must be unwritten history. As has been said of a traveller's delay 
in Italy, it may be said of this detention at Pernambuco, in logical 
language there was no causa causans; but the causa sine qua non 
was that we were in Brazil, where the " brief authority " of officials 
is sometimes notoriously overbearing. 

Pernambuco is the third city of Brazil, and is the greatest sugar- 



The City of Pernambuco. 



515 



mart in the Empire. Its population is variously estimated at 
eighty thousand and one hundred thousand. In all respects Per- 
nambuco is a thriving and a progressive city. Those who remem- 
ber its former unpaved streets and its other inconveniences for 
comfort and conveyance would now be surprised at the various 
changes and improvements. Water-works have been constructed, 
good bridges erected, and extensive quays have been formed on 
the margins of the rivers that would serve, according to Mr. Had- 
field, as models for the conservators of "Father Thames." Printing- 
presses send forth dailies and weeklies, besides from time to time 
respectable-sized books and Government documents. Education is 
looking up, whether we consider the common schools, the collegios, 
or the nourishing institution for legal instruction, which rivals that 
of San Paulo. 

The city is divided into three parishes or districts, called, seve- 
rally, S. Pedro de Gonsalves or Recife, S. Antonio, and Boa Yista, 
which are connected by bridges and good roads. 

Many of the houses of Pernambuco are built in a style unknown 
in other parts of Brazil. A description of one where my prede- 
cessor was entertained by a friend may serve as a specimen of the 
style referred to : — 

"It was six stories high. The first or ground floor was denominated the arma- 
zem, and was occupied by male servants at night ; the second furnished apartments 
for the counting-room, &c. ; the third and fourth for parlors and lodging-rooms ; 
the fifth for dining-rooms ; and the sixth for a kitchen. Readers of domestic habits 
will perceive that one special advantage of having a kitchen located in the attic 
arises from the upward tendency of the smoke and effluvia universally produced by 
culinary operations. A disadvantage, however, inseparable from the arrangement, 
is the necessity of conveying various heavy articles up so many flights of stairs. 
Water might be mentioned, for example, which, in the absence of all mechanical 
contrivances for such an object, was carried up on the heads of negroes. Any one 
will perceive that the liability of mistake, in endeavoring to preserve the equili- 
brium of each vessel of water thus transported, exposed the lower portion of the 
house to the danger of a flood. Surmounting the sixth story, and constituting, in 
one sense, the seventh, was a splendid observatory, glazed above and on all sides. 

" The prospect from this observatory was extended and interesting in the ex- 
treme. It was just such a place as the stranger should always seek in order to 
receive correct impressions of the locality and environs of the city. His gaze from 
such an elevation will not fail to rest with interest upon the broad bay of Pernam- 
buco, stretching, with a moderate but regular incurvation of the coast, between the 
promontory of Olinda and Cape St. Augustine, thirty miles below. This bay is gene- 
rally adorned with a great number of jangadas, which, with their broad lateen sails, 
make no mean appearance. Besides the commerce of the port itself, vessels often 



516 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



appear in the offing, bound on distant voyages, both north and south. No port is 
more easy of access. A vessel bound to either the Indian or the Pacific Ocean, or 
on her passage homeward to either the United States or Europe, may, with but a 
slight deviation from her best course, put into Pernambuco. She may come to an 
anchor in the Lameirao, or outer harbor, and hold communication with the shore, 
either to obtain advices or refreshments, and resume her voyage at pleasure, with- 
out becoming subject to port-charges. This is very convenient for whaling-ships 
and South Sea traders. In order to discharge or receive cargo, vessels are required 
to come within the reef and to conform to usual port-regulations. 

"Men-of-war seldom remain long here. None of large draught can pass the bar, 
and those that can are required — probably in view of the danger of accidents when 
so close to the city — to deposit their powder at the fort. Few naval commanders 
are willing to yield to such a requirement ; while, at the same time, their berth in 
the Lameirao cannot be relied on for either quietness or safety. The powerful 
winds and heavy roll of the sea are frequently sufficient to part the strongest cables. 
These are sufficient reasons why Pernambuco is not a favorite naval station either 
for Brazil or for foreign nations. The commercial shipping is under full view from 
the observatory, yet it is too near at hand and too densely crowded together to 
make an imposing appearance. 

"Olinda, seen from this distance, must attract the attention and the admiration 
of every one. Of this city set upon a hill, one is at a loss whether to admire most 
the whitened houses and massive temples, or the luxuriant foliage interspersed 
among them, and in which those edifices on the hill-side seem to be partially 
buried. From this point a line of highlands sweeps inward with a tolerably regular 
arc, terminating at Cape St. Augustine, and forming a semilunar reconcave, analo- 
gous to that of Bahia. The entire summit of these highlands is crowned with green 
forests and foliage. Indeed, from the outermost range of vision to the very pre- 
cincts of the city, throughout the extended plain, circumscribed by five-sixths of 
the imagined arc, scarcely an opening appears to the eye, although, in fact, the 
country overlooked is populous and cultivated. Numbers of buildings, also, within 
the suburbs of the city, are overtowered and wholly or partially hidden by lofty palms, 
mangueiras, cajueiros, and other trees. The interval between Recife and Olinda is 
in striking contrast to this appearance. It is a perfectly barren bank of sand, a 
narrow beach, upon one side of which the ocean breaks, while on the other side, 
only a few rods distant and nearly parallel, runs a branch of the Beberibe River. 
' "At a distance varying from one-fourth to half a mile from the shore runs the 
bank of rocks already mentioned as extending along the greater portion of the 
northern coast of Brazil. Its top is scarcely visible at high-tide, being covered 
with the surf, which dashes over it in sheets of foam. At low-water it is left dry, 
and stands like an artificial wall, with a surface sufficiently even to form a beautiful 
promenade in the very midst of the sea. This natural parapet is approached by the 
aid of boats. It is found to be from two to five rods in thickness. Its edges are a 
little worn and fractured, but both its sides are perpendicular to a great depth. 
The rock, in its external appearance, is of a dark-brown color, and, when broken, 
it is found to be composed of a very hard species of sandstone of a yellow com- 
plexion, in which numerous bivalves are embedded in a state of complete preserva- 
tion. Various species of small sea-shells may be collected in the water- worn cavi- 
ties of the surface. At several points deep winding fissures extend through a portion 
of the reef ; but in general its appearance is quite regular, — much more so, doubt- 
less, than any artificial wall could be after hundreds of years' exposure to the wear- 



Various Districts of the City. 



517 



ing of the ocean-waves. The abrupt opening in this reef, by which an entrance is 
offered to vessels, is scarcely less remarkable than the protection which is secured 
to them when once behind this rocky bulwark. 

" Opposite the northern extremity of the city, as though a breach had been arti- 
ficially cut, the rock opens, leaving a passage of sufficient depth and width to admit 
ships of sixteen feet draught at high-water. Great skill is requisite , however, to 
conduct them safely in ; for no sooner have they passed the reef than it becomes 
necessary to tack ship and keep close under the lee of the rock, in order to avoid 
the danger of running aground. 

"Close to this opening and on the extremity of the reef stands the fort, built 
at an early day by the Dutch. Its foundations were admirably laid, being com- 
posed of long blocks of stone, imported from Europe, hewed square. They were 
placed lengthwise to the sea, and then bound together by heavy bands of iron. A 
wall of the same nature extends from the base of the fortification to the body of the 
reef. This wall appears to have become perfectly solidified, and, in fact, aug- 
mented by a slight crust of accumulating petrifaction. This circumstance corrobo- 
rates the idea that the rock, on the whole, may be increasing, like the coral reefs 
of the South Sea Islands. 

"The district of S. Pedro — frequently called that of the Recife — is not large. 
Its buildings are most of them ancient in their appearance : they exhibit the old 
Dutch style of architecture, and many of them retain their latticed balconies or 
gelouzias. These gelouzias were common at Rio de Janeiro at the period of Dom 
John's arrival. But that monarch, dreading the use that might be made of them 
as places of concealment for assassins, ordered them to be pulled down; and they 
are now rarely seen in the metropolis. 

"The principal street of the Recife is Rua da Cruz. At its northern extremity, 
toward the Arsenal da Marinha, it is wide and imposing in its aspect. Toward the 
other end, although flanked by high houses, it becomes very narrow, like most of 
the other streets by which it is intersected. A single bridge connects this portion 
of the city with S. Antonio, the middle district. 

" S. Antonio is the finest part of Pernambuco when considered as a city. It con- 
tains the palace and military arsenal, in front of which a wall has recently been 
extended along the river's bank. Just above the water's edge has been placed a row 
of green-painted seats for the accommodation of the public. These are inviting, 
mornings and evenings, although, in the absence of shade-trees, the rays of the sun, 
pouring upon the turfless sand, render the heat intolerable throughout the day. 

"The principal streets of this section of the city, together with an open square 
used as a market-place, are spacious and elegant. The bridge crossing the other 
river is longer and more expensive than the one just described, although the depth 
of the stream beneath is not so great. On the southern or southwestern bank 
of this river stands the British Chapel, in a very suitable and convenient location. 
That edifice is built in modern style, and generally well attended by the English 
residents, on Sabbath-days, both morning and evening. Boa Vista is very exten- 
sive, and is chiefly occupied by residences and country-seats. A few large build- 
ings stand near the river, and, like most of those in the other sections of the town, 
are devoted in part to commercial purposes. Beyond these, the houses are gene- 
rally low, but large upon the ground, and surrounded by gardens, here denomi- 
nated sitios. The streets here were formerly unpaved, and unhappily suffered to 
remain in a most wretched condition. Sand, dry and wonderfully comminuted, 
abounds on all sides, unless variegated by filthy pools of standing-water. 



518 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

"The hedges in the environs of Pernambuco are similar to those of Rio, although 
generally more rank in growth. Many of the houses exhibit an expensive and at 
the same time tasteful style of construction. I was pointed to one in the veranda 
of which was arranged a collection of statues. The owner being a wealthy and 
notorious slave-dealer, some wag, a few years, since, thinking either to oblige or to 
vex him, crept in by night and supplied him with a cargo of new negroes, by paint- 
ing all the marble faces black." 

Pernambuco has ever manifested more activity than any other 
of the Northern provinces. It was the first to declare against the 
Portuguese Government, and several times there have been com- 
motions that threatened for a time the dismemberment of the State; 
but at the present time there is no province more faithful. An 
outbreak occurred in 1848, in consequence of a band of miscreants 
from the interior joining with a few disaffected in the city; but 
their leaders were summarily dealt with, and since that time the 
province has remained perfectly tranquil. 

The state of religion at Pernambuco is not obviously different 
from that in other parts of the Empire. The monasteries are in 
low repute, having at present but few inmates. The hospicio of 
the Earbadinhos, or Italian Capuchins, has been converted into a 
foundling-hospital. None of the churches are remarkable for their 
beauty, or splendor of construction. That of Nossa Senhora da 
Coneeicao dos Militares is distinguished for a singular painting upon 
its walls, designed to represent the battle of the Carapes, and to 
commemorate the victory which was then obtained over the 
heretical Hollanders. 

I followed up the Bible-labors of my predecessor, and found some 
unexpected openings for sowing the good seed. There never was 
a more favorable opportunity than the present for the introduction 
of truth and of a pure worship into this portion of Brazil. What 
is most needed in view of this object is a number of fearless and 
faithful Brazilian preachers. 

Through the English chaplain, Dr. Kidder was made acquainted 

with a priest who had already become convinced of the necessity 

of some new measures for enlightening the people, and who had 

recently taken an active part in circulating Bibles and tracts. 

He thus records his interview with this Bible-Christian : — 

"I met with this padre a few days after my arrival in the city. He came into 
the house of a friend with whom I was dining, and, happening to lay his hand upon 
some of the new tracts which I brought along, he broke forth in expressions of 



A Bible-Christian. 



519 



delight, saying that he had use for a quantity of these publications. In addition 
to their subject-matter, he was particularly pleased with their severally bearing the 
imprint of Rio de Janeiro, a circumstance that indicated the radiation of light from 
that important point This individual was a man fifty years old, as much like the 
ex-Regent Feijo in his appearance as any other Brazilian I ever saw. Part of his 
education he had received in Portugal, part in Brazil. He had once been chaplain 
to the prison-island of Fernando de Noronha. Owing to his recent change of views 
on several important topics, he had suffered considerable persecution from his 
bishop and some others of the clergy, but he seemed in no way disheartened by this. 

"His opinion was, that the silent distribution of tracts and Scriptures among 
'those persons and families disposed to read and prize them was the best method 
of doing good in the country at present. And most faithfully did he pursue that 
method, calling on me every few days for a fresh supply of evangelical publications. 

" I one day returned his visit, and found him surrounded with quite a library, 
among which his Bible attracted my attention, as having been for a year or two past 
his one book. Almost every page in it was marked as containing something of very 
especial interest. I could but wish that all with whom the Bible is not a rare 
book prized it as highly as did this padre, who, after having spent the greater 
portion of his life as a minister of religion according to the best of his previous 
knowledge, now in his declining years had found the word of God to be 'a light to 
his feet and a lamp to his path.' " 

In 1838, there occurred in this province one of the most extra- 
ordinary scenes of fanaticism which is a melancholy proof that the 
boast of the Eomish Church is in vain that such extravagances are 
confined to Protestant countries. The following narrative, con- 
densed from the official documents before me, may challenge a 
parallel in^either history or mythology. In order that the reader 
may fully understand it, I will remind him that there prevails 
in Portugal, and to some extent in Brazil, a sect called Sebas- 
tianists. The distinguishing tenet of this sect is the belief that 
Dom Sebastian, the King of Portugal who, in 1577, undertook 
an expedition against the Moors in Africa, and who, having been 
defeated, never returned, is still alive, and is destined yet to make 
his reappearance on earth, when all that the most enthusiastic 
Millerarian ever anticipated will be realized. Numberless dreams and 
prophecies, together with the interpretation of marvellous portents 
confirming this idea, have been circulated with so much of clerical 
sanction, that many have believed the senseless whim. Nor have 
there been lacking persons, at various periods, who have under- 
taken to fulfil the prophecies, and to .prove themselves the veritable 
Dom Sebastian. 

The prime point of faith is, that he will yet come, and that too, 
as each believer has it, in his own lifetime. The Portuguese look 



520 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



for his appearance at Lisbon, but the Brazilians generally think it 
most likely that he will first revisit his own city, St. Sebastian. 

It appears that a reckless villain, named Joao Antonio, fixed 
upon a remote part of the province of Pernambuco, near Pianco, 
in the Comarca de Flores, for the appearance of the said Dom Se- 
bastian. The place designated was a dense forest, near which 
were known to be two acroceraunian caverns. This spot the im- 
postor said was an enchanted kingdom, which was about to be 
disenchanted, whereupon Dom Sebastian would immediately appear 
at the head of a great army, with glory, and with power to confer 
wealth and happiness upon all who should anticipate his coming by 
associating themselves with said Joao Antonio. 

As might be expected, he found followers, who, after a while, 
learned that the imaginary kingdom was to be disenchanted by 
having its soil sprinkled with the blood of one hundred innocent 
children ! In default of a sufficient number of children, men and 
women were to be immolated, but in a few days they would all rise 
again and become possessed of the riches of the world. The pro- 
phet appears to have lacked the courage necessary to carry out his 
bloody scheme ; but he delegated power to an accomplice, named 
Joao Ferreira, who assumed the title of "His Holiness," put a 
wreath of rushes upon his head, and required the proselytes to kiss 
his toe, on pain of instant death. The official letter to Sr. Fran- 
cisco Rego Barras, at that time President of Pernambuco, states 
that "he also married every man to two or three women with 
superstitious rites in accordance with his otherwise immoral con- 
duct." After other deeds, too horrible to describe, he commenced 
the slaughter of human beings. Each parent was required to 
bring forward one or two of his children to be offered. In vain 
did the prattling babes shriek and beg that they might not be 
murdered. The unnatural parent would reply, "No, my child; 
there is no remedy," and forcibly offer them. In the course of two 
days he had thus, in cold blood, slain twenty-one adults and twenty 
children, when a brother of the prophet, becoming jealous of " His 
Holiness," thrust him through and assumed his power. At this 
juncture some one ran away, and apprized the civil authorities of 
the dreadful tragedy. 

Troops were called out, who hastened to the spot; but the infatu- 



Extraordinary Fanaticism. 



521 



ated Sebastianists had been taught not to fear any thing, but that 
should an attack be made upon them it would be the signal for the 
restoration of the kingdom, the resurrection of their dead, and the 
destruction of their enemies. Wherefore, on seeing the troops ap- 
proach they rushed upon them, uttering cries of defiance, attacking 
those who had come to their rescue, and actually killing five, and 
wounding others, before they could be restrained. Nor did they 
submit until twenty-nine of their number, including three women, 
had actually been killed. Women, seeing their husbands dying at 
their feet, would not attempt to escape, but shouted, "The time is 
come ! Yiva ! viva ! the time is come V Of those that survived a 
few escaped into the woods, the rest were taken prisoners. It was 
found that the victims of this horrid delusion had not even buried 
the bodies of their murdered offspring and kinsmen, so confident 
were they of their immediate restoration. 

Pernambuco lies on the great eastern shoulder of the South 
American continent, where it pushes farthest into the ocean. Its 
present great commercial importance is largely owing to this for- 
tuitous position. The city does not depend for its large exports 
on the fruitfulness or plenty of the region immediately sur- 
rounding it. 

This region is the sertdo, ("the wilderness, or desert,") — a term 
applied to much of the great promontory on which the province lies. 
It is a continued plain, of but little elevation above the sea, of a 
surface undulating to a small degree, occupied by a crisp, thin herbage 
•on a baked ferrugineous clay, or patched over with dwarfed forests, 
is irregularly supplied with rain, and is very sparsely populated. 

Pernambuco sends out annually four millions of dollars of exports 
past the angry little fort at the end of the Recife. A half-million 
reaches the United States. Bat its abundant beef and hides are 
gathered from the fat but untamed herds that riot among the sedgy 
meadows of the far-off San Francisco ; while a portion of the cotton 
and sugar are harvested three hundred miles away, around the 
Villa das F lores and among the foot-hills of Santa Barbaretta, — the 
first mountain-chain that arrests the trade-wind as it sweeps west- 
ward, laden with rain, which pours down the little valleys that 
furrow the serra and fill the region below with plenty. 

There are also an immense number of sugar-plantations on the 



522 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



proposed railway from Pernambuco to Joazeiro. From the Eecife 
to the river Una — a distance of seventy-five miles — there are no 
less than three hundred sugar-estates on the .sections of the railway 
already under contract. 

The distant population of this province is as untamed as the 
wilderness in which it exists. Law is worn very loosely. Society 
is patriarchal rather than civil. The proprietor of a sugar or cattle 
estate is, practically, an absolute lord. The community that lives 
in the shadow of so great a man is his feudal retinue ; and, by the 
conspiracy of a few such men, who are thus able to bring scores of 
lieges and partisans into the field, the quiet of the province was 
formerly more than once disturbed by revolts, which gave the 
Government much trouble. 

Eevenue, accordingly, can only be collected by import and ex- 
port duties. Taxation is impossible, because there is no system 
of tax-gathering vigorous enough to collect it. A few years ago 
an excise was put on the herds of cattle, and the exciseman went 
into the sertao for the Emperor's money. He was caught, stripped, 
and imprisoned in the trunk of a dead bullock, with his head stick- 
ing out. "If the Emperor wants beef/' the sertanejos said, "let 
his exciseman take it along/' 

The provincial of Pernambuco, as he enters the city from the 
sertao to do his semi-annual marketing, is worthy of such an ex- 
ploit, and is a notable. The highway to the city lies through 
Cachinga, — a neat little hamlet two or three leagues from the 
Eecife. The village is hidden from the observer as he approaches 
by a long valley of orange and banana trees. This is the sertanejo's 
last night's halt before getting to market. He has already ridden 
for twelve days, perched upon a couple of oblong cotton-bags 
strapped parallel to his horse's sides, followed by his train of a 
dozen horses or mules, loaded, in the same way, with cotton or 
sugar. A monkey, with a clog tied to his waist, surmounts one in 
place of the driver; parrot and his wife another; and a large brass- 
throated macaw with a stiff blue coat of feathers another. A raw 
hide protects his wares from the rain. Night after night he has 
slept on the earth, or has been suspended in his inseparable ham- 
mock, slung between two trees, with only the generous, starry sky 
for a covering. 



The Sertaxejos' Cavalcade. 



523 



Cachinga, quiet and silent by day, is boisterous by night ; for, 
during its watches, the sertanejos accumulate about the vendas by 
hundreds. The first streaking of the morning witnesses a miscel- 
laneous distribution, over the earth, of men, jaded horses, mules, 
monkeys, parroquetas, and sugar and cotton bags. The caravan 
is at once put in motion. Each individual sertanejo stirs his 
beasts, packs their loads, goes behind the riding-horse, seizes hold 
of the tail, puts a foot on the hock-joint, and leaps up on the back 




SERTAN EJOS. 



as if ascending a flight of stairs. This is a summons to every horse 
of his troop — already educated to it — to take his place in the train. 
In an instant the motley cavalcade is rolling down the valley of 
the Capibaribe before the sun has absorbed the dew-drops, which 
are like pendent jewelry on the rank leaves of the thick orchards 
that overhang the road. The sertanejo passes on, only pausing to 
uncover before the patron saint of all cavaliers, (who is shut up in 
a wooden case at the gateway of the bridge of San Antonio,) and 
he finally halts with his various merchandise, living and dead, in 
the street Trapixe. 

The individuality of the sertanejo is now manifest. On his head 
he wears a pindova hat, after the pattern of a sugar-loaf, attem- 



524 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



pered by experience to every condition of weather. Under it is an 
affluent " shock" of hair, in the midst of which, in a doubtful state 
of light and eclipse, is a thin, bronze face, of Portuguese configura- 
tion, with eyes significant of divided curiosity and suspicion. He 
is attired in a cotton shirt and unmentionables, the one scant to the . 
elbows and unbuttoned at the throat, leaving his tanned bosom 
bare, and the other rolled up to the knees. His feet are all un- 
learned in such commercial literature as the statistics of boots 
and shoes. 

Early morning is the busy hour of Pernambuco. The sugar- 
streets are thronged with a wonderful miscellany of horses, mules, 
asses, and sugar-bags; sugar-merchants delicately holding samples; 
cotton-bales, goats with their families on a morning promenade; 
and quitandeiras eloquently passing panegyrics on cakes, comfits, 
and oranges. And still the tide of loaded horses and asses pours 
into the Trapixe. The horses lie down to rest, and the sertanejo, 
fatigued with the riot of the night, and anticipating the noontide 
siesta, pillows himself to slumber on the neck of his steed. A 
wood-dealer, with twin-bundles of fagots strapped on the side 
of his donkey, attempts to force a way. He is followed by a 
poultry-dealer mounted on an ass, with an immense hamper of 
fowls, advertised by a dozen chicken-necks thrust at full length 
through the lattices. Macaws and parrots make the tenor of the 
busy occasion; while the ambitious trumpets of a half-dozen 
donkeys lend their bass semitones. In the midst of this Babel of 
sounds, the sabia — sweetest of the Southern feathered tribes of 
song and peer of the Northern thrush and the mocking-bird — 
pours out his hearty, mellow praises from a lady's window by the 
side of a whitewashed church. 

No market-scene can anywhere be more various, checkered, and 
interesting than at Pernambuco, in the busy sugar-season. Before 
meridian, the actors have changed, and others have taken their 
places. The black ganhadores, naked to the waist, with sugar-bags 
on their heads, hurry from the sugar- warehouses to the lighters, 
at full trot, in exact pace to their own boisterous music. 

Nearly the whole of Brazil is adapted to the cultivation of sugar; 
but it is on the sea-coast from Campos to the sixth degree of south 
latitude that it is produced in the greatest abundance. The export 



The Jangada or Catamaran. 



525 



of sugar from Pernambuco is annually increasing, and its produc- 
tion is flourishing under the improved machinery introduced by 
the brothers De Mornay. In 1821 this province produced 20,000,000 
pounds; in 1853 the total was 140,000,000 pounds. The whole 
number of pounds exported from Brazil in 1855 was 254,765,504, 
of which we purchased to the amount of more than one half a 
million of dollars. 

The ordinary price at Pernambuco is about three cents per pound 
for brown and five cents for pure white sugar. The clayed or white 
sugars are exported to Sweden and the United States : much of the 
brown is sent to the Mediterranean : the consignments to England 
are generally put up for "Cowes and a market." 

Pernambuco also exports more than 6,000,000 pounds of cotton 
to Liverpool. This cotton is of a good quality, and fetches a higher 
price than the generality of that exported from the United States. 
To the Quakers of England this Brazilian article has the preference, 
because it is mostly, according to Friends Candler and Burgess, 
raised by the free half-breeds of the interior; but I believe that there 
is also much of it which has to do with slave-labor. Great Britain 
imported from Brazil, in 1856, 21,830,000 pounds of cotton. I need 
hardly demand pardon of the general reader for these statistics. 
So little is known of the productiveness of Brazil that these 
figures are necessary to a more perfect knowledge of the state and 
progress of the Empire. 

But the Brazilian Mail-steamer awaits us. We bid farewell to 
our friends, and soon pass on one side the little fort at the end 
of the reef, and on the other the rusty cannons of old Fort do Brum, 
and are at once on the ocean. At the same time a hundred jangadas, 
or catamarans, sally out for the fishing-grounds at some indefinite 
distance from land, — ten, fifteen, twenty, or forty miles. These 
curious crafts are each composed of four logs of cork-palm, eight 
inches in diameter, pinned together, with a plank thrust down 
between them for keel and rudder, and a broad, brown lateen 
sail, made from fibrils, affixed to a rude mast. The catamaran 
flies like the wind, and the clipper — swift courser of the sea — 
cannot outstrip it. The fisherman, with breeches rolled up to his 
thigh, (for every wave submerges his palm-logs,) sits securely 
on a pegged stool : occasionally he dips up the brine with a 



526 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



calabash and dashes it over his sail. Have no fear for this frail 
ship-carpentry . The catamaran will re-enter the harbor to-mor- 
row morning, or, at furthest, the next day after, laden with a 
cargo of most extraordinary fish, — pink-eyed, ox-eyed, and four- 
eyed, round-shouldered, Eoman-nosed, scaly and unsealed; and 
among them are some wearing a quantity of tails, hairy and 
tufted, like a buffalo-bull's. Only once, the story goes, a cata- 
maran was run down at night: the picked-up owner was carried 
to Baltimore, to return at length and find his inconsolable widow 
solaced by a new marriage, and some young birds in the family 
nest not yet old enough to fly. 

Dr. Kidder once performed a voyage in a jangada to the beautiful 
island of Itamaraca, and his experience shows that they are breezy, 
watery, and safe. 

A minute after passing Fortaleza de Brum, a last sight is taken 
of a couple of Hollandish-looking windmills; and, as we glide 
away we have a glimpse of Cocoanut Island, lifting up its forest 
of green feathers against the clear sunset-sky, and finally nothing 
remains but the rocky pyramid of Olinda, crowned witri a cross- 
bearing church, and, beyond, the low shores that stretch away 
toward Parahiba do Norte. 

There is an utter dissimilarity in the geological position of the 
provincial capitals of Northern Brazil. But there is a striking 
resemblance in the heavy stone-masonry of the houses, in the tones 
of the families of bells that inhabit every church-turret, in the 
profound sand that fills the streets, and in the twinkle of the 
eyes and the thin sallow faces of the male inhabitants. 

The little island of Itamaraca, which, under the old Dutch Go- 
vernment, was the most spirited and affluent aloDg the whole coast, 
has now been almost lost sight of in geography, and has been de- 
graded from a first commercial consequence into a lean and beg- 
gared colony of fishermen and fruit-raisers. Parahiba, the capital 
of Parahiba do Norte, with a population of ten thousand, is situated 
upon the Parahiba Biver, some ten miles from the sea. The greenery 
of both shores overhangs the narrow river so closely that it seems 
to be approached through a cavern of verdure. Bed crabs doze 
on the muddy beaches, and countless tribes of waders industriously 
pick up a living at every retreat of the tide. At the end of this 



Rio Grande do Norte and Ceara. 



527 



arched avenue of trees, and on the hill-side of a narrow valley, 
whitewashed Parahiba appears, and, as our steamer draws near, 
the bells of a cathedral that rises above it summon the priests to 
perform the solemn offices for the dead. 

Natal, or Rio Grande do Norte, is, on the other hand, built on low 
lands near the sea. The steamer does not enter it, but lies off at 
an anchorage two or three miles from the shore. Passengers, with 
their luggage, are delivered, for want of boats, on board of a 
vivacious raft of palm-logs that goes hobbling round at the mercy 
of the sea. Each wave sweeps its whole length and breadth. En 
route to his post is a military commandant, just assorted and dis- 




P A V I O L A. 



charged from the ruder human clay of the steamer, and he stands 
erect on the float, brilliant in attire and trappings, and made more 
magnificent by his top-boots, which, at every plunge, fill up with 
water from the briny deep. 

Ceara can hardly be said to have a harbor : it is only a road- 
stead. This city is on ground comparatively level, and but few . 
feet higher than the ocean. The bluff, tall mountains of Ibiapaba, 
four or five miles distant, picturesque as the shores of the Hudson, 
and visible from the sea for a hundred miles, (though not marked 



528 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



on the maps,) form a beautiful background. Their sides are fretted 
with coffee-plantations, and, under the glass, their profile is ser- 
rated with feathery palm-woods. Here the style of landing is 
very different from that at Natal. A boat transports the pas- 
sengers to the verge of the surf that always breaks on the shore. 
A municipal chair, (paviola,) large enough for the accommodation 
of a couple of beef-fed aldermen, is borne on the backs of four 
stout slaves, until the water reaches their chins, and the surf, as 
they advance, passes over and around them. In the swift drift of 
water that precedes the breakers, the chair receives the precious 
freight of human life and treasure, and is carried at once, through 
the surf, to the shore. 

Aracati, in the province of Ceara, and Parahiba. in that of 
Piauhy, are principally cattle-marts. There is an equally striking- 
difference in the productions of the different provinces. Pernam- 
buco and Aracati are sugar-dealers; Parahiba exports cotton princi- 
pally. Ceara mingles sugar and coffee, and is eminently reput- 
able for its beef. Parahiba and Piauhy have a ruder civilization, 
and accumulate hides, tallow, and beef, and gather rice on the low 
plains along the rivers. Maranham, in addition to its large 
exports of cotton, rice, and salt, is a druggist, collecting many 
species of invigorating roots, barks, and balsams in its woods. 
Para is gratefully known to the world for its cacao and caoutchouc. 

There is a difference, too, in the appearance of the coasts. After 
leaving Olinda, no highlands are seen, except the mountains behind 
Ceara, until the bluff sand-hill of San Marcos is turned on entering 
Maranham. After leaving Parahiba do Xorte, the eye tires of the 
dreary shores and hillocks of white sand, herbless and treeless, 
save here and there a riband of green cocoanuts in the little 
valleys, or columnar cacti that from time to time shoot up out 
of the unrelieved desert as if to keep note of its utter desola- 
tion. Though, as has been observed, there is no Sahara in 
Brazil, there has often been much suffering from drought in 
this portion of the Empire. As seen from the deck, glistening 
sand frequently stretches away beyond the reach of sight. Such 
is the character of the country for hundreds of miles. This 
is slowly modified as the voyage extends farther north. The white 
sand-drifts are, at long intervals, striped with vegetation j then it 



Coast-Scenes. 



529 



becomes more interspersed, until at Maranham the whole shore is 
clothed with the beauty, brilliancy, and luxuriance of tropical 
growth. 

The sea-built masonry of the reef of Pernambuco appears at 
frequent intervals along the coast, at distances varying from one 




THE C A C AO. 



hundred to one thousand yards from shore. At Ceara alone it 
seems to pass under the land, through the sandy point of Macoripe. 
The ocean, with its low, hoarse voice of habitual sorrow, often 
breaks over it. 

Petitinga — a triangle of green in the midst of a wide desolation 
of sand-hillocks — is famous for the tortoise-shell (second only to 
that of the South Sea) gathered among these disrupted rocks. 

34 



530 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



But the morality of the hamlet is like that of the Bedouins. Legiti- 
mate trade is sometimes suspended to plunder a flour-vessel which 
has been driven ashore by a storm and the currents. Then the 
whole population turn salvors, and salvage covers the cargo. 

The point of the coast about Cape S. Boque is dangerous to 
vessels making their way close to the shore, in consequence of 
sunken reefs and the strong current, at the rate of three or four 
miles an hour, that, having already swept across the ocean from 
the African coast, impinges on Brazil not far from Bahia, and is then 
deflected northwardly till it passes the mouth of the Amazon, after 
which it continues until it becomes known to us as the Gulf Stream. 
This is a serious obstacle to attempting a landing north of Cape 
S. Koque, because then, with an adversity both of wind and cur- 
rent, it is difficult to turn the cape without standing far out to sea. 
Before the introduction of steamers, news from Northern Brazil was 
sometimes received at Bio de Janeiro via Europe. Mr. Southey 
mentions the case of a vessel sent eastward from Maranham in 
1656, having troops on board for some special emergency, which, 
after having been out fifty days, — a time long enough to exhaust her 
provisions, — found it necessary to put back, and in twelve hours 
reached the port she had left. 

Eight degrees of latitude and more than fifteen hundred miles of 
coast are comprehended between Pernambuco and Para on the 
Amazon. The climate of all is much alike, and without any 
appreciable differences on account of seasons. The range of the 
thermometer in the shade is from 82° to 90°, scarcely ever indi- 
cating a change of more than five degrees. So equable, indeed, is 
the temperature of the northern coast, that one cannot but be 
astonished at witnessing it advance slowly, during six months of 
the year, from 82° to the maximum, then, turning and tracing its 
way back, to the minimum with equal decorum. But the quan- 
tity and distribution of rain are very unequal, and its seasons 
vary at different points along the coast. At Pernambuco the rain 
continues about three months only, and falls in inconsiderable 
quantities, while at Para, by exact observation, less than sixty 
days of the year are without rain. But the reader must not ima- 
gine a continuous state of overhanging clouds: the sun is seen as 
often as at New York. The rainy season at Pernambuco is nearly 



The Rainy Season. 



581 



ended when that at Maranham begins. At this latter point the 
tropical rain, though less continuous than at Para, is established 
in full vigor. Light occasional showers inaugurate its approach. 
Every day invigorates it, till, at the height of the season, in a 
bright sky, black clouds rush up suddenly from every point of 
the horizon to the zenith, bring their stores together f in an angry 
shock, accompanied by violent lightning and thunder, and pour 
them down in a deluge on the earth. At this time, although 
the rain sometimes con- 
tinues incessantly dur- 
ing the day, there is a 
usual periodicity of the 
showers, at ten o'clock 
in the morning and 
three in the afternoon, 
— lasting a couple of 
hours, and with bright 
skies between. So great 
is their precision that 
all the appointments 
of the day are made 
with reference to these 
short times of tempest. 
The rainy season of 
Maranham continues 
about six months, and 
during this time more 
rain falls, it is stated 
from observation, than, 
with one exception, at 
any other place on the 
earth, — amounting to 
two hundred and thirty 

inches. The remainder of the year is rainless. Still, vegetation 
does not droop. Plants have in themselves the power of adaptation 
to great differences of seasons, and borrow and absorb the trans- 
parent moisture which the trade-wind brings from the sea, thus 
maintaining their usual rankness of growth. 




THE SAPUCAYA NUT. 



532 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



And now, turning from the weather to something more stable, 
we observe that the city of San Luiz de Maranham ranks as the 
fourth in the Empire, and is the capital of the rich and important 
province of the same name. The estuary upon which it stands 
was discovered by Pinzon in 1500. Though Maranham was made a 
captaincy as, early as 1530, the French, in 1612, were the first to 
form a permanent settlement, and, in compliment to the patron 
saint and the royal family of France, named the town St. Louis and 
the bay St. Mary. 

The territory of the province is rather uneven in its surface, 
although it has not a single range of mountains. It is watered by 
a large number of rivers, both great and small. It remains to a 
great extent covered with forests, in which valuable woods and 
precious drugs are abundant. The soil is peculiarly adapted to the 
cultivation of rice, which it produces in vast quantities. Cotton 
thrives much more than the sugarcane. The indigenous fruits are 
numerous and rich, and in the distant interior are many edible 
nuts, among which none is more curious than the three-cornered 
Brazil-nut (Bertholetia excelsa) and the sapucaya, (Lecythis ollaria.) 
The latter is a capsule or nut as large as an infant's head, filled with 
small, oily, eatable grains. With this capsule pretty vases and 
sugar-bowls are often made. The pineapples and bananas, of 
several species, deserve mention for especial excellence. Mineral 
riches have not been withheld from this portion of the globe. Fine 
strata of old red sandstone furnish an excellent and common 
material for building; while iron and lead ores and antimony have 
been discovered, although they have not yet been turned to public 
advantage. Fish abound in the waters of the province; and herds 
of sheep, cattle, and horses multiply rapidly on the plantations of 
the interior. 

San Luiz de Maranham is believed to be better built, as a whole, 
than any other city of Brazil. It exhibits a general neatness and 
an air of enterprise which rarely appears in the other towns of the 
Empire. There are, moreover, within its bounds but few huts 
and indifferent houses. None of the churches appear unusually 
large or sumptuous, but many of the private dwellings are of a 
superior order. The style of construction is at once elegant and 
durable. The walls are massive, being composed of stone broken 



The City of San Luiz de Maraniiam. 



533 



fine and laid in cement. Although the town does not occupy a 
large extent of ground, the surface it covers is very unequal. 
Its site extends over two hills, and, consequently, a valley. The 
rise and descent in the streets are 
in many places very abrupt. Few 
carriages are in use, and, in accord- 
ance with this circumstance, there is 
only one good carriage-road in the 
entire vicinity. That road leads a 
short distance out of town. The 
cadeira is but little known here as a 
means of conveyance. The rede, or 
hammock, is generally used as a means 
of easy locomotion. It is very com- 
mon, both in Maranham and Para, 
to see ladies in this manner taking 
their passeio, or promenade. Gentle- 
men do not often make their ap- 
pearance in public in this style, 
although it is generally conceded that they are quite fond of 
swinging in their hammocks at home. 

Hon. John U. Petit, who resided for a number of years at Ma- 
ranham, has kindly furnished me a few of his full notes; and his 
descriptions of Maranham are so fresh, graphic, and full of life that 
I give them entire : — 

. "The lateral streets, crossing the two principal thoroughfares, descend rapidly 
to the estuaries on each side. The heavy rains dash their torrents along down their 
pavements and cleanse the whole city. Filth is thus made impossible. Quebra- 
costa or Breakback Street deserves its name, for it drops down abruptly like a 
declivity. 

" My first landing was made at evening, and at the end of the outpouring of the 
diurnal rains. Already the sun was out, and the clouds were half dispersed from 
the sky, except here and there a few remaining fugitives, fantastically arranged, 
now in crags and mountain-steeps, now in distant harvest-landscapes, now in long, 
blue lakes, with sloping shores of green and orange. 

u But the prevailing and superabundant humidity at this season, though unfelt 
and obviously unseen, is yet seen in its effects. Every thing that is touched is 
clammy. The wet season is the green age of mould. And yet it is not so much wet 
as musty. Mould grows on every thing that gives it a place for rest. A grease- 
spot on a coat, or a soiled coat-collar, becomes verdant after a night's exposure. 
Albino wakes you to take a cup of coffee, and you sip the liquid swinging in your 
hammock, just as the morning is peeping, and the velvet-breasted wren is singing 




A REDE. 



534 



Brazil and the .Brazilians 



from the tall crown of a bread-fruit-tree or early humming-birds are sucking nectar 
from the very throats of the red pomegranate-flower. Albino then improvises a 
lustre on your boots. But you have hardly sunk down in your hammock and 
waked up again, when-^?res£o — your boots are grown over with a green vegetable 
nap, an antiquity-looking mildew. The old black, revered, neat's-leather trunk, 
fellow-visitor of many States, and the acquaintance of many custom-house ex- 
plorers, — now standing modestly back by the wall with its lid uplifted, as though 
it wished everybody to look in and see its very heart. — under the novel influence, is 
first white, then brown, then yellowish, and, at last, green in an apparent old age. 
But, if this attract remark, it is only for a moment ; for the mould perishes at the 
first hot breath of old Sol, — suddenly as the ephemera that lives a whole life and 
dies in crossing a sunbeam, 

"Maranhani, in its principal streets, is built of compacted stone-masonry. 
Houses are usually of two, three, or four stories, with walls of two and a half 
or three feet in thickness, the better to resist attacks of external heat. Maran- 
ham is nearly a finished city; but a house was erected, not long since, in the 
Street St. John. A train of asses and mules brought the red, ferrugineous sand- 
stone — just landed from Bom-Fira — up the Palace Square in panniers, — a reluctant 
slave compelling them from behind. The lime was carried in baskets, on the heads 
of slaves, from the opposite sea-shore; while, in order to mix the nijrtar, women 
marched up, loaded with water-jars, from the abundant fountain behind Praia 
Cuju. 

"The population is affluent. The residents of the city are the proprietors of the 
plantations and of the numerous slaves dwelling on the fazendas of the mainland. 
Factors supervise them there, and the annual rents are paid without giving the 
masters any trouble in going after them, and the money is soon wasted in the 
abundance — and, sometimes, the dissipation — of the city. 

"With such ample means, the children of its burghers are very well educated in 
the more brilliant and showy and less practical attainments of knowledge, — some- 
times at home, less often abroad. Ladies more frequently than gentlemen are met 
with who have learned the arts of pleasing and conquest at Lisbon. Madrid, and 
Paris. This superior class constitutes a social realm where Roger de Coverley 
might live happy. 

"Before midnight, the streets are quiet as churchyards, and it is only the late 
walker who is met by the patrol with a musket on his shoulder and a bayonet at the 
end of it, and required to give the countersign ; and, answering, it is likely, with a 
very difficult utterance, Amigo, which means that he is a particular friend of the 
Emperor's, is then directed to move on. 

"Below the class of opulent citizens, who dwell in large stone houses having 
balconies at all their windows and verandas above, that shut out the invasion of 
the sun, first in rank is the large class of shopkeepers and artisans. For these, 
several schools exist. The city, too, abounds in charities. It has its home of 
orphans, its house of foundlings, a house of lepers, hospitals for the sick, and 
misericordias, with open doors, embracing all the children of distress. 

"The Portuguese make an important element of the population in all the cities. 
They are spirited, ambitious, self-reliant, and money-making. They do not create 
wealth, but acquire it. The Brazileiro looks on them with habitual aversion. This 
had its origin in the time of the colonial dependence on Portugal, when home- 
bred courtiers of the monarch crowded all the walks of ambition in Church and 



"Old Uncle Ned" in Maranham. 



535 



State, to the exclusion of the natives of the colony. The Government then was 
terribly unjust and oppressive. The Portuguese appointees were generally in 
circumstances of decayed fortune, which they went abroad to repair; and the his- 
tory of the capitanias is only a repetition of the old story of the outrages and rapa- 
city of the Roman proconsuls. To this deep cause of hatred another is added, in 
the steady flow of Portuguese colonization into the Empire, monopolizing, by vigor 
and ingenuity, the shopkeeping and the more skilful mechanical employment^, in 
which a Brazilian rarely appears. Most of them come as adventurers and obtain 
competence, many of them affluence. 

"A vessel touches in Brazil, loaded with Portuguese lads bent on making for- 
tunes. Each has a large chest, capable of holding a whole family, At a custom- 
house inspection, two of the boys lift up the huge lid. In the immense cavern to 
which it opens are seen dispersed a shirt, ' a pair of socks,' needles and thread, 
and, in addition, the adventurer's stock in trade, — two or three strings of Spanish 
onions. In ten or twelve years the boy has become a man, and embarks his chest 
again to return to Portugal. But now he has it strapped with ropes to keep down 
the cover. Small boxes and carpet-bags cluster around it, as if they were the 
old chest's children ; and the old chest, having no wings, but feeling maternal, 
hovers over them with its shadow. And, before embarking, the indefatigable 
Portuguese has paid duty on a considerable amount of specie. Such is the 
facetious and somewhat overdrawn picture by which the Brazileiros, the lineal 
descendants of a common ancestry, solace themselves over their deadly enemies 
the Portuguese. 

"The class of Brazilians proper — the offspring of the old Portuguese emigrant, 
— embracing the civil functionary, the army and navy officer, the priest, and the 
gentleman of the city and the country — forms about one-third of the popula- 
tion. The Portuguese population, in number, is about one-sixth. Below these 
are the varieties, — making about one-half the census, — the negro, mulatto, 
mestizo, and Indian. The wants of the latter are few and cheap: — a house 
floored on the naked earth, palm-thatched at the sides and overhead, with 
hammocks slung diagonally across it for sitting and sleeping, and with attire 
exceeding Eve's garden-dress merely by a shirt or pantaloons ; besides these, 
the sea and earth, equally bountiful, spread their tables with plenty. But indi- 
viduals of one class easily shift into another. Genteel persons sometimes get 
out of their places and become vagabonds ; while, overcoming the slightest 
possible obstacle on account of color, exchanges in society are made, as every- 
where else, by some in subordinate ranks forcing themselves out of their posi- 
tions upward. 

"A musical furor rages like the dog-star. Piano and harp are vocal in the 
parlors and saloons. But the guitar — as in the vine-covered cottages of Portugal 
— is a joy forever in all the households of the poor; while its humbler types — the 
banjo and mai'imba — are an equally universal property of the black and all his 
derivatives. The slave that goes bareheaded, barefooted, and unshirted vexes it 
(the marimba, — that primitive guitar) in the soft moonlight, before his master's 
door, in the presence of a bevy of loitering wenches, on whose hearts, as a second 
instrument, he plays, — taking them captive by the sorcery of his art. The 
melodies of the North American plantations (the African-born airs of Vh'ginia and 
Tennessee, long since threadbare in the United States) are, like the smallpox, con- 
tagious through all ranks of society. A dozen negroes, carrying a large crockery- 
hogshead slung over their shoulders on bamboos, are mourning, in minor melody, 



536 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



the fate of 'Poor Old Ned.' In the Street Sant' Anna, from behind a latticed 
door, one hears a musical voice telling Susannah not to cry.* Aristocratic pianos 

are loud with 'Rosa d' Alabama' 
and ' Senhoritas de Buffalo,' 
■ with much more music than 

-~ ~ ' --. ' v prosody. 

"Outside and inside, S. Luiz 
is a very lovable city. Good- 
temper, courtesy, and kindness 
are almost universal. This is 
confined to no position of life. 
A ready, overflowing hospitality 
welcomes the stranger at every 
door. 

"It is very pleasant to draw 
a picture of Maranham by me- 
mory, with the bay, dotted over 
with little islands of verdure 
broad enough in some places 
not to permit you to see the 
opposite shores, folding it in 
the embrace of its two large 
estuaries ; strange fishermen's 
craft, picturesque montarias and 
canoes, lying along the praias ; 
dainty, tall cocoanuts fringing 
the profile of the city, as it 
seems to be thrown carelessly 
over the sharp ridge that ad- 
vances into the bay ; groves of 
bananas and oranges clinging 
on its steep sides ; a redolence 
of sweets from native flowers 
filling the air ; occasional mirantes pretentiously stretching up above the general 
perspective of red tiles ; and the tall tower of the cathedral and the populous 
turrets of scores of churches pushing their rounded pinnacles into the sky. 

" 'Swallows,' says Dr. Johnson, 'certainly sleep all winter. A number of them 




THE MARIMBA. 



* The wide diffusion of the so-called " Ethiopian Melodies" of the United States is almost incredible. 
In 1849, at one o'clock in the morning, I was riding from Charing Cross to the Surrey side of London, 
and heard a party of young Englishmen singing, at the top of their voices, "Oh, Susannah!" &c. Once, 
in passing over the Gloria Hill, at Rio de Janeiro, I caught the notes of the same tune, which was being 
performed by one of the inmates of a Brazilian cottage. But the most unexpected treat, in this parti- 
cular, I experienced in 1850, at Terracina, — the ancient Anxur, and not far from the Three Taverns 
mentioned in Acts xxviii. 15. It was an Italian midnight ; and, while I was listening to the sound 
of the Mediterranean wave, as it broke upon the decaying quays of Terracina, and thinking of the long 
past of old Rome, I was startled by a clear voice (which made the ruins around us ring) sending forth 
upon the night-air u 01d Uncle Ned." It suddenly dashed away every thought of Italy and Rome and 
carried me most hastily over the ocean. I afterward discovered that the serenader was a Boston 
Yankee, who had wandered to this quiet nook, and who had been so singularly affected by the sacred 
and classic associations that he gave vent to the " Ancient Uncle Edward." as most in accordance with 
emotions called forth by the antiquity — classic and sacred — of Terracina. — J. C. F. 



How the Swallows Winter. 



537 



conglobulate together by flying round and round, and then, all in a heap, throw 
themselves under water and lie in the bed of a river.' The first greeting at Maran- 
ham to the April visitor is the dear old friend the swallow. He builds his house 
under the tiled eaves. It haunts church-spires in myriads, as though ;i religious 
bird. As the sun goes down and shines with diminished beams, and until he 
finally sinks to rest, far up in the sky little flocks of swallows are seen wheeling in 
giant circumferences. Sometimes their enemy the vulture, at the same hour of the 
evening, is up there with his family, airing, after a day spent shamefully among car- 
casses. Then squadrons of swallows muster and drive him from those azure fields. 
Now they disport themselves along the earth, now flit on lazy wing above the house- 
tops, or pick a zigzag way along the airy avenues, among the groves of palm and 
figs and oranges, or dart away, swift and unerring as an arrow, after some gay 
butterfly, from which — as riches cannot shield from death — his velvet bosom and 
painted wings cannot buy him escape. A half-dozen weeks hence, the swallow that 
sits at the margin of that red tile, teaching her young, with affectionate art, to fly, 
may, under Northern skies, at home, skim above the fragrant clover-meadows or 
yellow harvests, or through the blossoming orchard or butternut-clump, or lave her 
white bosom in the little lake, or sweep along the hill, chasing the shadow of a 
lazy cloud. Thus are the swallows delightfully occupied during our cold winter, 
and when the time to migrate arrives they gather in countless hosts on all the 
house-tops, preparatory to their long journey, to proclaim, with other harbingers, 
to Northern lands, still brown with the hues of annual death, that light-footed 
Spring is coming with a power of resurrection. Choicest of the gifts with which 
man mitigates his lot is the physical charm of all beauteous nature, its mute yet 
divinely-speaking flowers, and its happy birds, harmonious with more than choral 
sweetness. 

"The sight of the pretty white village of Alcantara, of five or six thousand 
inhabitants, a half-dozen miles distant across the bay, makes one wish to visit 
the mainland. Alcantara is noted for the production of salt, gathered, as in 
some of the West India Islands, from natural pools supplied with water from the 
ocean at the recurrence of the spring-tides. A few miles farther up the coast is 
the village of Guimaraens, in the midst of a region abounding in cotton, rice, and 
mandioca. 

"The twin-bays of San Marks and San Jose, immediately behind the island 
of Maranham, are reached from the interior of the province by several rivers — the 
Pindare", the Mearim, and the Itapicuru — hardly more considerable than the 
Mohawk or the Upper Wabash. As Alcantara invites you to its shores, these 
rivers tempt you to ascend their mangrove-lined banks to their sources. 

"The mangrove-tree is present along all the tide-water of Northern Brazil, 
and at high-water is standing in it at mid-waist, only its branches, sea-green 
leaves, and a few white blossoms above it. Behind it, on the high shore, are lines 
of towering palms. Vegetable propriety is outraged in the manner in which the 
mangrove grows. From its shaft, a half-dozen inches in diameter and a half- 
dozen feet high, it puts forth horizontal branches. These, in turn, drop down 
suckers, that become rooted into the mud and soon attain the size of the parent 
stem ; and these, in turn, send out other branches and drop other stems, till 
the tree has grown into a large framework, and so strengthens itself against the 
tempests. In its deep shadows, where no human foot intrudes, the sericoria 
— the woodcock of the tropics — .fearlessly leads abroad its young. Upon the 
roots oysters cling, and, at low-water, present the curious spectacle of bivalves 



538 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



growing on trees. The mangrove contains, in great abundance, the principle 
of tannin, which, in the form of a concocted extract, may become a valuable article 
of commerce." 

The montaria referred to is thus described by Dr. Kidder : — 

"In the river, in front of the Varadoura, a respectable collection of merchant- 
vessels may generally be seen at anchor. None of the water-craft, however, appear 
more picturesque than does the montaria, — a species of flat-boat used much on 




THE MONTARIA. 



these waters. In the first one which I saw, I counted ten Indians paddling it 
rapidly against the tide. They each held a paddle, about the size and shape of an 
oval spade, perpendicularly in both hands, and, all striking at once into the water, 
gave the boat great momentum." 

We now bid adieu to the clean, the gay, the hospitable city of 
San Luiz, and steam for Para. 



CHAPTEE XXVI. 



magnificence of nature in the brazilian north the city of para* — the 

entrance of the amazon — the first protestant sermon on these waters 

parallel to the black-hole of calcutta — effects of steam-navigation 

— improvements in para" — the canoa bathing and market scenes 

produce of para — india-rubber — para* shoes — the amazon river mr. 

Wallace's explorations — the vaca marina — cetacea of the Amazon — 

turtle-egg butter indian archery brazilian birds and insects 

visit to rice-mills near para — journey through the forest — the 
paranese bishop's suspicions of dr. kidder state of religion at 

PARA. 

We rapidly steam over the four hundred miles between Maran- 
ham and Para, and we have reached the eastern edge of the Bra- 
zilian North, — the maritime border of that vast basin which 
contains an area equal to that of two-thirds of Europe. We are 
about entering upon a region the most wonderful in its nature, — 
where every object is upon the grandest scale. The mightiest 
river of the world rises in the loftiest mountains of the Western 
continent and flows for thousands of miles through forests unparal- 
leled in beauty, extent, and productiveness. Here the Victoria 
Regia, the giant of Flora's kingdom, nestles on the bosom of the 
shady pools, or reposes on the still waters that are shielded by some 
verdant peninsula from the rushing waves of the never-ceasing 
flood that pours from the Andes. Millions of the most brilliant- 
plumaged birds and insects, curious quadrupeds and reptiles, in- 
habit this almost terra incognita. Perhaps no region of our globe 
possessing such wonders has been so easy of access and so little 
explored. We are, however, on the eve of a great change : steam 
is doing its legitimate work, and the present generation may not 
live to see the Yalley of the Amazon, like that of the Mississippi, 
teeming with millions, but there will be a thorough knowledge of 
its vast resources. Much that is visionary has been written con- 

539 



540 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



corning the "mighty Orellana;" and those who are expecting to 
behold its fertile shores a half-century hence filled with a thrifty 
population and smiling under civilization are doubtless doomed 
to disappointment. And, while Southern Brazil will ever be the 
fit field of enterprise for the European and North American, still, 
there is no reason to doubt that the statement of Mr. Wallace — 
the most thorough explorer of the Amazon Valley — is strictly true 
when he says, "For richness of vegetable production and fertility 
of soil it is unequalled on the globe, and offers to our notice a 
natural region capable of supporting a greater population and 
supplying it more completely with the necessaries and luxuries of 
life than others of equal extent/' 

Amazonia should have a volume to itself; but this work would 
be incomplete without some notices of this portion of the Empire 
of Brazil, which has always excited a deep interest on both 
continents. 

The city of Belem, or Para, is usually the point of departure for 
those visiting the Amazonian region from the East. There was 
formerly a land and water route from Maranham to Para, which 
has now been abandoned : according to Mr. Southey, it used to be 
performed by canoes passing through the continent, and coasting 
around not less than thirty-two bays, many of them so large that 
sight cannot span them. These bays are connected by a labyrinth 
of streams and waters, so that the voyage may be greatly short- 
ened by ascending one river with the flow, crossing to another, and 
descending with the ebb. The distance thus circuitously measured 
is about three hundred leagues, and may be traversed in thirty 
days. Dr. Kidder says, — 

"I met with one individual who had in early life passed through this inland 
passage in a much more direct course, his voyage occupying only fourteen days. It 
was at that golden era when Indian labor was plenty and could be secured at four 
cents per day. Some years after, the same individual wished to perform this 
voyage, but was forced to abandon it, from the difficulty of finding canoe-men to serve 
him even at fifty cents per day. He entertained the most delightful recollections 
of the route, exhibiting as it did the glories of nature in all their pristine loveliness. 
Nothing interrupted the security of the traveller, and nothing disturbed the silence 
of those sylvan retreats save the chattering of monkeys or the carolling of birds. 
The silver expanse of waters, and the magnificent foliage of tropical forests, taller 
than the world elsewhere contains, and so dense as almost to exclude the light of the 
sun, combined to impress the mind with inexpressible grandeur. 

" The canoes were drawn up on shore every night when refreshment and repose 



L 

t 

3 
) 



I 



I 



The Entrance of the Amazon. 



541 



■were desired, and the skilful Indians, in a few moments, could secure sufficient 
game for the subsistence of the party. Thus the voyage was prosecuted with little 
fatigue and with every diversion." 

In some portions of Brazil where there are so many streams to 
be crossed, ferry-boats, on some occasions, were formerly extem- 
porized. An ox-hide was the princijjal material for the construc- 
tion, and a slave was the means of propulsion. 




NOVEL FERRY-BOAT. 



Para is situated on the river of the same name, which, some con- 
tend, is but a continuation of the Tocantins, and not one of the 
mouths of the Amazon. Mr. Wallace inclines to the former, hut 
•general belief to the latter, opinion. 

During the prevalence of certain winds, and owing to the strong 
currents, which force the fresh water far out to sea, the entrance 
of the Para Eiver is sometimes both difficult and dangerous. 
My colleague thus describes his experience : — 

"We entered this mouth of the Amazon at a fortunate juncture. The weather 
was so clear that we distinctly saw the breakers on both the Tigoca and Braganza 
banks, and the tide had just commenced flowing upward. For nearly an hour we 
could observe, just ahead, the conflict of the ascending and descending waters. 
Finally, the mighty force of the ocean predominated, and the current of the river 
seemed to recoil before it. 

" This phenomenon is called, from its aboriginal name, pororoca, and gives cha- 
racter to the navigation of the Amazon for hundreds of miles. No sailing-craft can 
descend the river while the tide is running up. Hence, both in ascending and 
descending, distances are measured by tides. For instance, ParfL is three tides 



542 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



from the ocean, and a small vessel entering with the flood must lie at anchor during 
two ebb-tides before she can reach the city. Canoes are sometimes endangered in 
the commotion caused by the pororoca, and hence they generally, in anticipation, 
lie to in certain places called esperas or resting-places, where the water is known 
to be but little agitated. Most of the vessels used in the commerce of the Upper 
Amazon are constructed with reference to this peculiarity of the navigation, being 
designed for floating on the current rather than for sailing before the wind, although 
their sails may often be made serviceable. 

" The ebb and flow of the tides in the Amazon are observed with regularity five 
hundred miles above the mouth, at the town of Obidos. The pororoca is much 
more violent on the northern side of the island of Marajo, where the mouth is wider 
and the current becomes more shallow. 

"As we passed up the great river, the color of the water changed from the dark 
hue of the ocean we had left to a light green, and afterward, by degrees, to a muddy 
yellow. We were barely in sight of the southeastern bank of the river ; and, after 
we had ascended more than forty miles, the island of Marajo began to be visible on 
the opposite side. In the course of the day we approached nearer the continent, 
and the shore was seen to be uniformly level and densely covered with mangrove- 
thickets. The only village distinctly seen was Collares, which our commander, 
Captain Hayden, had captured during the revolution. The whole day we were 
borne along by the combined force of steam and wind, but the tide was part of the 
time against us. At evening a clear full moon shed down from an unclouded sky 
new splendor upon a scene already sublime. A most fragrant breeze from the land 
became more and more perceptible as the river narrowed. Two boats were the 
only craft we saw during the whole ascent. Finally, we came alongside the Forte 
da Barra, two miles distant from the city of Belem, and were hailed as we passed. 
The lights of the town, and of vessels in front of it, then became visible. We 
described a semicircle around the harbor, passing between two vessels-of-war, and 
came to an anchor at ten o'clock. 

"The towers of the cathedral, of the palace, and of several churches, were dis- 
tinctly visible in the moonlight. 

" The second day after our arrival was the Sabbath, and through the courtesy 
of Captain H. it was arranged that I should hold a Bethel service on board the 
Maranhense steamer. Some American seamen were present, and several persons 
came from the shore. These, together with the -ship's company, formed an audience 
to whom I announced the tidings of the kingdom of God. Making allowance for 
the circumstance of a public packet just clear of her passengers and the same 
night going to sea with another supply, the occasion was very favorable for divine 
service, and I felt truly grateful for the opportunity — probably the first ever enjoyed 
by any Protestant minister — of attempting to preach Jesus and. the resurrection 
upon the wide waters of the Amazon. I held similar services at Para on seven suc- 
ceeding Sabbaths, — once on board an American vessel in port, and at other times in 
the private house of a friend. 

" The location of Para, or the city of Belem, is in 1° 28' S. latitude and 48° 28' 
W. longitude. Its site occupies an elevated point of land on the southeastern 
bank of the Para River, the most important mouth of the Amazon. This city is 
eighty miles from the ocean, and may be seen from a long distance down the river. 
It has a very imposing appearance when approached from that direction. Its 
anchorage is very good, formed by an abrupt curve in the stream, and admits vessels 
of the largest draft. The great island of Marajo forms the opposite bank, twenty 



Effects of the Indian Revolution. 



543 



miles distant, but is wholly obscured from sight by intervening and smaller 
islands. 

"The general appearance of Para corresponds to that of most Brazilian towns, 
presenting an array of whitened walls and red-tiled roofs. The plan on which it is 
laid out is not deficient in either regularity or taste. It possesses a number of public 
squares, and the streets, though not wide, are well paved, or rather macadamized. 
The proportion of large, well-built houses is respectable, although the back-streets 
are mostly filled with those that are diminutive in size and indifferent in con- 
struction. 

"The style of dwelling-houses is peculiar, but well adapted to the climate. A 
wide veranda is an essential portion of every habitation. It sometimes extends 
quite around the outside of the building, while a similar construction prevails on 
at least three sides of a spacious area within. A part of the inner veranda, or a 
room connected with it, serves as the dining-room, and is almost invariably airy and 
pleasant. The front-rooms only are ceiled, save in the highest and most expensive 
edifices. Latticed windows are more common than glass, but some houses are fur- 
nished with both, although preference is always given to the former in the dry sea- 
son. Instead of small, dark, and unventilated alcoves and sweltering beds for 
sleeping, they have suspension-hooks arranged for swinging hammocks across the 
corners of all the large rooms, and transversely along the entire sweep of the 
verandas. Some dwellings contain fixtures of this sort for swinging up fifty or 
sixty persons every night with the least possible inconvenience. 

"The effects of the revolution of 1835 are still very apparent in Para. Almost 
every street shows a greater or less number of houses battered with bullets or 
cannon-shot. Some were but slightly defaced, others were nearly destroyed. Of 
the latter, some have been repaired, others abandoned. The S. Antonio Convent 
was much exposed to the cannonading, and bears many marks of shot in its walls. 
One of the missiles was so unlucky as to destroy an image perched in a lofty niche 
on the front of the convent.''' 

This revolution was one of the most successful on record, 
where the aborigines, guided by white leaders, nearly regained 
their power, and for a time held in subjection the European 
descendants. Para, though now prosperous, has been singularly 
unfortunate in the check to its progress which has been the 
heritage of many revolts. 

The traveller, on entering this city, is struck with the peculiar 
appearance of the people. The regularly-descended Portuguese 
and Africans do not, indeed, differ from their brethren in other 
parts; but they are comparatively few here, while the Indian race 
predominates. The aboriginals of Brazil may here be seen both in 
pure blood and in every possible degree of intermixture with both 
blacks and whites. They occupy every station in society, and 
may be seen as the merchant, the tradesman, the sailor, the sol- 
dier, the priest, and the slave. In the last-named condition they 
excited most my attention and sympathy. The thought of slavery 



544 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



is always revolting to an ingenuous mind, whether it be considered 
as forced upon the black, the white, or the red man. Bat there 
has been a fatality connected with the enslavement of the Indians, 
extending both to their captors and to themselves, which invests 
their servitude with peculiar horrors. 

Nearly all the revolutions that have occurred at Para are 
directly or indirectly traceable to the spirit of revenge with which 
the bloody expeditions of the early slave-hunters are associated in 
the minds of the natives and mixed bloods throughout the country. 
The Brazilian revolution in this part of the Empire was attended 
with greater horrors than in any other province. 

When the independence of the country was declared, Para was 
for a time held by the Portuguese authorities. On the arrival of 
Lord Cochrane at Maranham, he desjmtched one of his officers, 
(Captain Grenfell,) with a brig-of-war, to take possession of Para. 
This officer had recourse to a stratagem which, although success- 
ful, was little more creditable to his bravery than his integrity. 

Having arrived near the city, he summoned the place to surren- 
der, asserting that Lord Cochrane was at anchor below, and, in 
case of opposition, would enforce his authority with a vengeance. 
Intimidated by this threat, the city hastened to swear allegiance 
to the throne of Bom Pedro I., and Grenfell managed to have 
obnoxious individuals expelled before his deceit was found out. 
Opposition, however, soon sprang up : a party was organized 
with the intent of deposing the provincial junta, The latter, 
of course, claimed the protection of Grenfell. He immediately 
landed with his men, and, joining the troops of the authorities, 
easily succeeded in quelling the insurrection. A large number of 
prisoners were taken, and five ringleaders in the revolt were shot 
in the public square. Thence returning on board, he received, the 
same evening, an order from the president of the junta to prepare 
a vessel large enough to hold two hundred j)risoners. s hip f 
six hundred tons' burden was accordingly selected. It afterward 
appeared that the number of prisoners actually sent on board by 
the president was two hundred and fifty-three. These men, in 
the absence of Captain Grenfell, were forced into the small hold 
of the prison-ship, and placed under a guard of fifteen Brazilian 
soldiers. 



Parallel to the Black-Hole of Calcutta. 545 



"Crowded until almost unable to breathe, and suffering alike from heat and 
thirst, the poor wretches attempted to force their way on deck, but were repulsed 
by the guard, who, after firing upon them and fastening down the hatchway, threw 
a piece of ordnance across it and effectually debarred all egress. The stilling sensa- 
tion caused by this exclusion of air drove the suffering crowd to utter madness, and 
many are said to have lacerated and mangled each other in the most horrible man- 
ner. Suffocation, with all its agonies, succeeded. The aged and the young, the 
strong and feeble, the assailant and his antagonist, all sank down exhausted and 
in the agonies of death. In the hope of alleviating their sufferings, a stream of 
water was at length directed into the hold, and toward morning the tumult abated, 
but from a cause which had not been anticipated. Of all the two hundred and fifty- 
three, four only were found alive, who had escaped destruction by concealing them- 
selves behind a water-butt." — Armitage, vol. ii. p. 108. 

This dreadful scene is perhaps unparalleled in history, or finds 
its parallel alone in the black-hole of Calcutta. Its only mitigation 
consisted in its having been caused by carelessness and ignorance, 
without "intent to kill." It has, however, but too much affinity 
with the treatment of the prisoners taken and confined at the same 
place in the subsequent civil revolutions. Yast numbers of these 
unhappy men were crowded into the prison of the city and of the 
fort, where they were kept, without hope of release, until death 
set them free. Besides, a prison-ship, called the Xin Xin, was 
filled to its utmost capacity. Dr. Kidder has estimated that not 
less than three thousand had died on board that one vessel in the 
course of five or six years. My colleague thus speaks of the last 
great revolt at Para : — 

" The disorders that broke out at Para in 1835 were disastrous in the extreme. 
They first commenced among the troops. The soldiers on guard at the palace 
seized an opportunity favorable to their designs, and on the 7th of January simul- 
taneously assassinated the president of the province, the commander-at-arms, and 
the port-captain. A sergeant, by the name of Gomez, assumed the command, and 
commenced an indiscriminate slaughter of the Portuguese residents. After twenty 
or thirty reputable shopkeepers had been killed, these insurgents proceeded to 
liberate about fifty prisoners, among whom was Felix Antonio Clemento Malcher, 
an individual who had been elected a member of the provisional junta at the time 
of Grenfell's invasion, but who was subsequently arrested as the instigator of a 
rebellion at the Rio Acara. This Malcher was now proclaimed president, and a 
declaration against receiving any president from Rio until the majority of Dom 
Pedro II. was formally made. 

f * No houses were broken open on this occasion. Order was soon restored, and 
things remained quiet till the 19th of February. At this time, Francisco Pedro 
Vinagre, the new commander-at-arms, having heard that he was to be arrested for 
some cause, called out the soldiers and populace to attack the president. Malcher 
shut himself up in the Castello fort and attempted to defend himself. In the course 
of two or three days two hundred men were killed and the president captured. 

35 



546 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



He was sent to the fort at the Barra, below the city, as if to be imprisoned, but 
was murdered on the way, undoubtedly by the orders of Vinagre, who was now 
supreme. 

" On the 12th of May an attempt was made, under the constitutional vice-pre- 
sident, Senhor Correa, to take possession of the town, by landing troops from a 
squadron of thirteen vessels-of-war. This attempt was repulsed, and the vessels 
dropped down the river. Soon after, a new president (Senhor Rodriguez) arrived 
from Rio. On the 24th of June he landed with a body of two hundred and fifty 
troops, the insurgents having retired toward the interior. Disorders still continued 
in the province, and, on the 14th of August, a body of Indians, led on by Vinagre 
and others, suddenly descended upon the capital. They obtained possession of the 
city and commenced an indiscriminate massacre of the whites. The citizens were 
obliged to defend themselves as they best could. Vinagre fell in the midst of a 
street-skirmish. An English and a French vessel-of-war, lying in the harbor, sent 
on shore a body of marines, but soon withdrew them on account of the pusillani- 
mous conduct of the president. 

" The Indians commenced firing upon the palace from the highest houses of which 
they could get possession, and artillery from the palace attempted to return the 
fire. The president, however, soon withdrew and abandoned the city to destruc- 
tion. Many families succeeded in escaping on board vessels in the harbor, but 
many others fell victims to rapine and murder. Edurado, the principal leader after 
the death of Vinagre, endeavored to protect the property of foreigners, and, to some 
extent, succeeded : nevertheless, as fast as possible, the foreign residents withdrew 
from the city, and thought themselves fortunate to escape with their lives. The 
period that ensued might with propriety be called the reign of terror. But it was 
not long a quiet reign. Disorders broke out among the rebels, and mutual assassi- 
nations became common. Business was effectually broken up, and the city was 
as fast as possible reverting to a wilderness. Tall grass grew up in the streets, 
and the houses rapidly decayed. The state of the entire province became similar. 
Anarchy prevailed throughout its vast domains. Only a single town of the Upper 
Amazon maintained its integrity to the Empire. Lawlessness and violence became 
the order of the day. Plantations were burned, the slaves and the cattle were 
killed, and in some large districts not a white person was allowed to survive. 

" In May of the following year, General Andrea arrived as a new president from 
the Imperial Government and forced his way into the capital. He proclaimed 
martial law, and, by means of great firmness and severity, succeeded in restoring 
order to the province. It was, however, at the cost of much blood and many lives. 
He was accused of tyranny and inhumanity in his course toward the rebels and 
prisoners ; but the exigencies of the case were great, and furnished apologies. 
One of the most disgraceful things charged upon him and his officers was the abuse 
made of their authority in plundering innocent citizens, and also in voluntarily 
protracting the war so that their selfish ends might be advanced. Certain it is that 
the waste of life, the ruin of property, and the declension of morals, were all com- 
bined and lamentably continued ; and yet in this state of things we see nothing but 
the fruits of that violence and injury which, from the first colonization of Para by 
the Portuguese, had been practised against the despised Indians. 

"In addition to the more direct consequences of the disorders, the salubrity 
of the country and of the city itself fearfully deteriorated. The rapid growth and 
the equally rapid decay of vegetable matter on the spots from which years of culti- 
vation had banished it brought on epidemics and other fatal diseases, which swept 



Effects of Steam-Navigation. 



547 



off hundreds of the people that survived the wars. Thus, one of the richest and 
fairest portions of the earth was nearly desolated. 

"Until 1848 it was only by slow degrees that Para recovered. Nothing, indeed, 
but the extraordinary and spontaneous fertility of the whole region has enabled 
the province, in any considerable degree, to reclaim its business-relations. Not- 
withstanding all the natural beauties so profusely exhibited at Para, — reminding 
One, at every step and at every glance, of the glorious munificence of the Creator, 
— there are but few places which suggest sadder reflections upon the wickedness 
and misery of man. Until within a few years, we can scarcely point to a bright 
spot in its history. During the early periods that succeeded its settlement by 
Europeans, a continual crusade was carried on against the aboriginals of the soil, 
for the purpose of reducing them to a state of servitude. In vain were the reason- 
ing and power of the Jesuits arrayed in opposition to this course. In vain was 
African slavery introduced as its substitute. The cruel and sanguinary purposes 
of the Portuguese were persevered in. An innocent and inoffensive people were 
pursued and hunted down in their own forests like beasts of prey. Thus, iniquity 
triumphed ; but a terrible retribution followed. The foul passions which had been 
nurtured in the persecution of the Indians were equally malevolent when excited 
against each other by the common jealousies and differences of life. For a long 
time previous to the outbreak of 1835, assassinations had been the order of the 
day. Scarcely a night passed without the occurrence of more or less. No man's 
life was secure. Revenge rioted in blood. This was too much the case in other 
parts of the country at the same period, but at Par& worse than elsewhere. Then 
followed the dreadful scenes already described, in which the long-degraded and 
down-trodden Indians, headed by factious and intriguing men, gained the ascend- 
ency in turn and drove the white population into exile." 

It is a singular fact that Brazil was the first country of South 
America, and perhaps, for an Empire so vast, the first in the world, 
to bind her provinces together by steam-navigation. Para is now 
reaping the fruits of this wise measure. The great old Convent 
of S. Antonio has but few monks, and recently the greater portion 
of its spacious grounds has been sold to the Amazon Navigation 
Company, (a Brazilian association.) This company is now erecting 
on or near these grounds the large workshops, coal-depots, wharves, 
&c. so essential to the proper prosecution of their various and ex- 
tended steam-interests. The Custom-House was formerly a huge 
ecclesiastical building, and the barracks of the standing army once 
belonged to the order of Carmelites. A great number of new 
houses have been recently erected from the Custom-House to the 
Castello fort, and an extensive pier has been constructed where 
formerly there were no facilities for landing except that which the 
beach afforded. The streets were, a few years since, in a wretched 
state : but from the date of the regular steamers on the Amazon (1853) 
there has been a vast improvement. Nearly all are macadamized, 



548 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



and are well lighted by camphene. Formerly the rede and the 
most antiquated Portuguese vehicles were the only means of land- 
conveyance in Para. Mr. Henderson (to whom I am indebted for 
recent information) says that there are now nearly fifty coaches, 
(of Newark and Boston manufacture,) which are at the command 
of citizens or visitors ; and on Sunday particularly are they most 
busily occupied in plying between Para and Nazare at the modest 
rate of twenty-five cents each passenger. The ladies formerly made 
their calls and visits by being carried in a hammock : they now ride 
behind a pair of handsome grays. A few years only have elapsed 
since nearly all the water was carried in truly Oriental style, and 
the following beautiful description of Dr. Kidder is still most 
accurate so far as nature is concerned; but in regard to the water- 
carriers the picturesque is diminishing, while the convenient is 
gaining :— 

" The evening and morning scenes that may he enjoyed at Para are indescrihahly 
heautiful. At night all is still, save the occasional rustling of a halmy breeze ; and 
the imagination must be vivid that can picture to itself more loveliness than is ex- 
hibited when the moon walks forth in her splendor. The dark luxuriant foliage, 
crowning hundreds of spreading trees, is burnished with a mellow lustre too ex- 
quisite for words to portray ; while the waving plumes of numerous palm-trees, 
glancing their reflections downward upon the beholder, add to the charms of the 
scenery. The opening blossoms of many fruit-trees and humbler flowers load the 
air with a fragrance which is none the less grateful from not being mingled, as in 
some of the larger towns, with offensive effluvia. The blandness of the evening air 
is in delightful contrast to the rigors of the noonday sun, and an occasional breeze 
invigorates the system after either the confinement or the exposure of the day. 
Although in the course of the night there falls a copious dew, yet so balmy and 
healthful is the atmosphere that there is no dread of exposing to it the most deli- 
cate constitution. This is the climate that of all others I would seek as a relief to 
enfeebled health, and especially for pectoral affections. 

"A morning scene is scarcely inferior in effect. I sometimes went out to enjoy 
it long before the mild radiance of the moon was lost in the more powerful beams 
of the king of day, who at his appointed time rose through a brief twilight and 
hastened on his effulgent course through the cloudless ether. The Brazilians are 
generally early risers, and it may be remarked that in their towns generally the 
foreign houses are those latest opened for business. Nevertheless, there are few 
who walk abroad for the pleasure or exercise of walking. Almost the only persons 
met in my morning walks at Para were the negroes and Indians, in countless num- 
bers, going with earthen jars upon their heads for water. 

" There is no artificial fountain in the whole city. The only source of drinking- 
water is a spring on the eastern side of the town. Jars of this water are sometimes 
carried around on horseback for sale, to accommodate those who do not keep a large 
supply of servants. A few wells in the suburbs, together with the current of the 
river, furnish water for washing and similar purposes." 



The Ox-Carts and Advancing Civilization. 549 



Though a few tottering and almost skeleton horses may still be 
seen staggering under the load of four water-jars, a better day has 
dawned upon Para. The introduction of more than two hundred 
water-carts, drawn each by a single ox, is an event to be chronicled 
as an advance in civilization, and shows as much improvement as 
macadamized streets and modern carriages. The Brazilian is far 
more flexible than the Portuguese. A few years ago, a benevolent 
citizen of the United States endeavored, at his own cost, to furnish 
the peasantry of some of the Portuguese islands with suitable and 
civilized carts instead of the inconvenient clumsy vehicles which 
they and their fathers before them had been using for centuries. 
His benevolent enterprise was entirely frustrated, for they would 
not give up their antiquated ox-killing carts. In 1856, Portugal 
was the only division of Europe, excepting Turkey, that did not 
possess a railway. The water-carts of Para are similar in shape 
to that depicted on page 175. 

While the city fronts upon the river, its rear is skirted by a 
shaded walk whose equal would be difficult to find in Brazil. The 
Estrada das Mangabeiras is a highway extending from near the 
Marine Arsenal on the river side to the Largo da Polvora on the 
eastern extremity of the city. It is intersected by avenues lead- 
ing from the Palace Square and the Largo do Quartel. Its name 
is derived from the mangabeira-trees with which it is densely 
shaded on either side. The bark of these shade-trees is of a light 
grayish color, regularly striped with green; their product is a 
coarse cotton that may be used for several purposes : their appear- 
ance is at once neat and majestic. 

On the grounds of the old Convent — now the Hospital — of S. 
Jose, a botanical garden was laid out in 1797; but it was neglected, 
and finally abandoned during the troublous times of 1823 and '35. 

In 1854, during the presidency of the distinguished and talented 
Sebastiao do Eego Barros, formerly Minister of War, the site for 
a new botanical garden was laid out farther from the city and on 
a far more extensive scale. He sent to Europe and procured five 
or six skilful professional gardeners, who designed a handsome 
plan for the new works, which will doubtless soon be prosecuted 
to completion. 

Beyond the actual precincts of the city, one may instantly bury 



550 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



himself in a dense forest and become shut out from every indica- 
tion of the near residence of man. 

The coolness of these silent shades is always inviting, but the 
stranger must beware lest he loses his way and thus be subjected 
to many annoyances and difficulties. Formerly there were many 
stories told of persons who became bewildered in the mazes of 
these thickets, and, though but a short distance off, were utterly 
unable to find their way back to town. Several persons are 
believed to have perished in this manner. 

All important posts throughout the town are regularly guarded, 
and whoever approaches after eight o'clock at night is hailed with 
a harsh, indistinct call : — " Quern vat Id?" (Who goes there ?) The 
proper answer is, "Amigo," (A friend,) — which many contract to a 
swinish grunt. To this the condescending permission, "Passa 
largo!" is generally retorted by the soldier, and the person goes by. 

My colleague, in giving his experience at Para, thus writes : — 

"As my lodgings were opposite the trem, or military arsenal, my ears became 
very familiar with these exclamations, which were vociferated the whole night long. 
Not only these, but the piercing scream, 'As armas!' which resounded every hour 
when guard was relieved, and the blowing of a horn at frequent intervals, — as, 
for example, at Ave Maria, when all the soldiers doff their caps in honor of the 
Virgin, — formed no small annoyance, at least during hours allotted to repose. 
Another peculiar custom of Par& is the ringing of bells and the discharge of 
rockets at a very early hour of the morning. I sometimes heard it at four o'clock, 
and with much regularity at five. 

"Few objects at Para attract more attention from the stranger than the fashion- 
able craft of the river. Vessels of all sizes — from that of a sloop down to a shallop 
— are called canoas. Few canoes proper, however, are in use. The montaria, seen 
and described at Maranham, is very common in the harbor. 

"The large canoas, made for freighting on the river, appear constructed for any 
thing else rather than water-craft. Both stem and stern are square. The hull 
towers up out of the water like that of a Chinese junk. Over the quarter-deck is 
constructed a species of awning, or round-house, generally made of thatch, to pro- 
tect the navigator against the sun by day and the dew by night, and, it also may 
be added, against the moon ; for the Paraenses are very superstitious in regard 
to the silver beams of Luna. Sometimes a similar round-house is constructed 
over the bows, giving something like homogeneity to the appearance of the vessel. 
This arrangement renders it necessary to have a staging or spar-deck rigged up, on 
which to perform the labors of navigation. The steersman generally sits perched 
upon the roof of the after round-house. The idea continually disturbing my mind 
while beholding these canoas was, that, being so top-heavy, they were liable to over- 
set, as they most inevitably would if exposed to a gale of wind. They are thought, 
however, to answer very well their purpose of floating upon the tide. Moreover, 
one special advantage of the round-house is that it furnishes room for the swinging 
of hammocks, and thus saves the canoe-men the trouble of going on shore to sus- 



Bathing and Market Scenes. 



551 



pend them on the trees. Mr. Mawe says that, in descending the Amazon, he passed 
a man who had moored his canoe while he fastened his bed upon some branches 
of a tree overhanging the water and took a nap ! 




AMAZONIAN CAN OA. 



"The street running parallel to the river and connecting with the several land- 
ings is that in which the commercial business of the place is principally transacted. 
At certain hours of the day it presents a very lively appearance. 

"Various objects and customs are observed at Para that appear altogether pecu- 
liar to the place. In one section of the city, when animals are slaughtered for 
market, vast numbers of vultures are observed perched upon the trees or wheeling 
lazily through the air. Along the margin of the river, both morning and evening, 
great numbers of people may be seen bathing. No ceremonies are observed at these 
very necessary, and no doubt very agreeable, ablutions. Men, women, and chil- 
dren — belonging to the lower classes as a matter of course — may be seen at the 
same moment diving, plunging, and swimming in different directions. 

"There is generally a crowd of canoes around Ponta da Pedra, the principal 
landing-place. These, together with the crowd of Indians busily hurrying to and 
fro, conversing in the mingled dialects of the Amazon, are peculiar to Para. Here 
may be seen cargoes of Brazil-nuts, cacao, vanilla, annatto, sarsaparilla, cinnamon, 
tapioca, balsam of copaiba in pots, coarse dried fish in packages, and baskets 
of fruits, in infinite variety, both green and dry. Here are also parrots, macaws, 
and some other birds of gorgeous plumage, and occasionally monkeys and serpents, 
together with gum-elastic shoes, which are generally brought to market suspended 
on long poles to prevent their coming in contact with each other. These formerly 
arrived in immense quantities ; but now the ' India-rubber' is mostly conveyed to 
market in the shape of small slabs. 

"The indigenous produce of the province of Para is immense in quantity and 
of great value. If the people were only industrious in collecting what nature fur- 



552 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Irishes so bountifully to their hands, they could not avoid being rich. If enter- 
prising cultivation were added to that degree of industry, there is no limit to the 
vegetable wealth which might be drawn from this treasure-house of nature. 

"Rice, cotton, sugar, and hides are exported in small quantities, and are pro- 
duced by the ordinary methods. The trade in gum-elastic, cacao, sarsaparilla, 
cloves, urucu, and Brazil-nuts, is more peculiar. 

"The use of the caoutchouc or gum-elastic was learned from the Omaguas, — 
a tribe of Brazilian Indians. These savages used it in the form of bottles and 
syringes : (hence the name syringe-tree.) It was their custom to present a bottle 
of it to every guest at the beginning of one of their feasts. The Portuguese settlers 
in Para were the first who profited by turning it to other uses, converting it into 
shoes, boots, hats, and garments. It was found to be specially serviceable in a 
country so much exposed to rains and floods. But of late the improvements in its 
manufacture have vastly extended its uses and made it essential to the health and 
comfort of the whole enlightened world. The aboriginal name of this substance 
was cahuchu, the pronunciation of which is nearly preserved in the word caoutchouc. 
At Para it is now generally called syringa, and sometimes borracha. It is the pro- 
duct of the Syphilid elastica, — a tree which grows to the height of eighty aud some- 
times one hundred feet. It generally runs up quite erect, forty or fifty feet, without 
branches. Its top is spreading, and is ornamented with a thick and glossy foliage. 
On the slightest incision the gum exudes, having at first the appearance of thick, 
yellow cream. 

" The trees are generally tapped in the morning, and about a gill of the fluid is 
collected from one incision in the course of the day. It is caught in small cups 
of clay, moulded for the purpose with the hand. These are emptied, when full, 
into a jar. No sooner is this gum collected than it is ready for immediate use. 
Forms of various kinds, representing shoes, bottles, toys, &c, are in readiness, 
made of clay. 

"When the rough shoes of Para are manufactured, it is a matter of economy to 
have wooden lasts. These are first coated with clay, so as to be easily withdrawn. 
A handle is affixed to the last for the convenience of working. The fluid is poured 
over the form, and a thin coating immediately adheres to the clay. The next move- 
ment is to expose the gum to the action of smoke. The substance ignited for this 
purpose is the fruit of the wassou-^zXva.. This fumigation serves the double purpose 
of drying the gum and of giving it a darker color. When one coating is sufficiently 
hardened, another is added and smoked in turn. Thus, any thickness can be pro- 
duced. It is seldom that a shoe receives more than a dozen coats. The work, 
when formed, is exposed to the sun. For a day or two it remains soft enough to 
receive permanent impressions. During this time the shoes are figured according 
to the fancy of the operatives, by the use of a style or pointed stick. They retain 
their yellowish color for some time after the lasts are taken out and they are con- 
sidered ready for market. Indeed, they are usually sold when the gum is so fresh 
that the pieces require to be kept apart : hence, pairs of shoes are generally tied 
together and suspended on long poles. They may be seen daily at Para, suspended 
■over the decks of the canoes that come down the river and on the shoulders of the 
men who deliver them to the merchants. Those who buy the shoes for exportation 
commonly stuff them with dried grass to preserve their extension. Various persons 
living in the suburbs of Para collect the caoutchouc and manufacture it on a small 
scale. But it is from the surrounding forest-country, where the people are almost 
•entirely devoted to this business, that the market is chiefly supplied. The gum 



India-Kubber. 



553 



may be gathered during the entire year ; but it is more easily collected and more 
serviceable during the dry season. The months of May, June, July, and August 
are specially devoted to its preparation. Besides great quantities of this substance: 
which leave Para in other forms, there have been exported for some years past 
about three hundred thousand pairs of gum-elastic shoes annually. There are, 
however, some changes in the form of its exportation ; and a few years ago a patent 
was taken out, by an American in Brazil, covering an invention for exporting 
caoutchouc in a liquid form. The Amazonian region now supplies, and probably 
will long continue to supply, in a great degree, the present and the rapidly- 
increasing demand for this material. Several other trees — most of them belonging 
to the tribe Euphorbiacice — produce a similar gum ; but none of them is likely to 
enter into competition with the India-rubber tree of Para. 




MANUFACTURE OF INDIA-RUBBER SHOES. 



"Another tree, not uncommon in the province, called the massaranduba, yields 
a white secretion, which so resembles milk that it is much prized for an aliment. 
It forms, when coagulated, a species of plaster, which is deemed valuable. The 
trees yield the fluid in great profusion. Their botanical character has never been 
properly investigated. It has been said that the juice of the India-rubber tree is 
also sometimes used as milk, and that the negroes and Indians who work in its 
preparation are said to be fond of drinking it ; but a young lady who drank it at 
Para died from the effects of the coagulation in her stomach. 

" The annato or urucu is another valuable production of Para. This is a well- 
known coloring-matter of an orange dye. It is a product of the tree known to 
botanists as the Bixa orelletna. This tree gi'ows ordinarily to about the size and 
form of the quince-tree, and exhibits clusters of red and Avhite flowers. Its coloring- 
matter was extensively used by the aboriginals at the period of discovery. By 
means of it they formed various kinds of paint, and were fond of besmearing the 
whole surface of their bodies with it. 



554 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



" The preparation used in commerce is the oily pulp of the seed, 'which is rubbed 
off and then left to ferment. After fermentation it is rolled into cakes weighing 
from two to three pounds, and in this form is exported. Cacao — the substance 
from which chocolate is prepared — is a common and valuable production of Par&. 
It is made from the seeds of the Theobroma cacao, represented on page 529. 

"It would be an interesting although an almost endless task to investigate the 
botany of the Amazon. Laurels are yet to be won in this field of science ; and it 
must be set down as by no means complimentary to American botanists that they 
have not entered it as competitors. I have often heard of Burchell as having re- 
sided some time at Para ; but I apprehend that he was, at the period of his visit, 
too far advanced in years to do full justice either to his own reputation or to the 
interminable field here spread before him." 

The most thorough exploration of the Amazon has been by an 
Englishman, — Air. Alfred E. Wallace, whose attention was directed 
to Northern Brazil by Air. Edwards's little book, "A Voyage up the 
Amazon." With the enthusiasm known only to the naturalist, he 
entered upon this almost untrodden field in 1848, and, after de- 
voting himself to the study of the strange and beautiful objects 
which abound in the remotest portions of the interior, in 1852 he 
gave up his wandering and romantic life among the almost unknown 
aborigines, and returned to England laden with Flora's richest 
spoils. But, alas ! the burning of the ship on his homeward voyage 
not only caused the loss of his entire collection, but for many day3 
his life was exposed in an open boat upon the broad Atlantic. Not- 
withstanding the great loss of materials, — which every naturalist 
and traveller can fully appreciate, — he prepared on Northern Brazil 
the two most interesting volumes extant. He went not to study 
the government and the people, but the Indians, forests, flowers, 
birds, and the wild beasts of Amazonia. Whoever wishes a fresh 
and reliable book on nature can turn to Mr. Wallace with a surety 
that he will find in the " Narrative of Travels on the Amazon and 
Bio Negro" a deeply-interesting book for general reading, and in 
the " Palms of the Amazon" a little volume which the naturalist 
will count among his best treasures. 

The waters of the great river are scarcely less productive than 
the soil of its banks. Innumerable species of fish and amphibious 
animals abound in it. Several large kinds of fish are salted and 
dried for use. But the commerce in this article of food does not 
extend beyond the coast. Owing to the style of preparation, or to 
the coarse quality of the fish, foreigners set no value upon it. The 



Fish at the Falls of the Madeira. 



555 



most remarkable inhabitant of these waters is the vaca marina, 
commonly called by the Portuguese peixe boi, or fish-ox. This 
name is evidently given on account of the animal's size, rather 
than from any resemblance to the ox or cow other than its being 
mammiferous. 

The vaca marina cannot be called amphibious, since it never 
leaves the water. It feeds principally upon a water-plant (cana 
brava) that floats on the borders of the stream. It often raises its 
head above the water to respire as well as to feed upon this vege- 
table. At these moments it is attacked and captured. It has only 
two fins, which are small and situated near its head. The udders 
of the female are beneath these fins. This has been pronounced 
the largest fish inhabiting fresh water; but, notwithstanding its 




PEIXE BOI, OR VACA MARINA. 



mammoth dimensions, — being, according to various accounts, from 
eight to seventeen feet long, and two to three feet thick at the 
widest part, — its eyes are extremely small, and the orifices of its 
ears are scarcely larger than a pin-head. Its skin is very thick 
and hard, — not easily penetrated by a musket-ball. The Indians 
used to make shields of it for their defence in war. Its fat and 
flesh have always been in estimation. It served the natives in 
place of beef. Not having salt for the purpose, they used to pre- 
serve the flesh by means of smoke. 

The waters of the Amazon up to the very base of the Andes are 
inhabited by several species of cetacea, of which we have very 
scanty information. Mr. Nesbitt — who was the chief engineer on 
the Peruvian Government steamers built in New York and taken 
up the Amazon, and who spent a number of years on the King 
of Waters and its aflluents — has kindly furnished me several items 
concerning the fauna of that regiou : — 



556 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



" There are thousands of the regular sea-porpoise in the Amazon and its affluents, 
at the very foot of the Andes. Indeed, I have seen larger schools of them in the 
Huallaga than I ever saw in the Hudson, and of enormous dimensions. Fish of 
every kind is very abundant in all the rivers and lakes. 

"At the Falls of the Rio Madeira the traveller -will halt and gaze with wonder 
at the vast multitude of fish of all kinds and sizes — from the huge cow-fish to the 
little sardine — struggling with might and main to ascend the foaming, dashing 
current, without the slightest hope of success. Presently, some monster will make 
a dash at a school of his small congeners, when suddenly there will be a cloud 
of all sorts and sizes leaping in the air and trying to dodge their ravenous pursuer. 
All that is necessary for one wishing a fish is to take his canoe-paddle and 
strike right or left, when he is sure to hit: he cannot possibly miss. Here are 
almost always to be found great numbers of Indians collecting, salting, and drying 
fish. The peixe boi is an excellent fish for food ; I would almost as soon have it for 
the table, in every shape, as the best veal : indeed, it might be palmed upon the 
unwary for that article. It is also equal to the best dried beef for chipping, in the 
estimation of many. 

"In this connection I might mention the Tartaruga, or turtle of the Amazon: 
these are to be found by the thousand in nearly all the affluents, — especially the 
Madeira, Purus, Napo, Ucayali, and Huallaga. At the season for them to deposit 
their eggs on the i p?'aias,' the streams will be fairly speckled with them, paddling 
their clumsy carcasses up to their native sand-bar ; for it is positively asserted by the 
natives that the turtle will not deposit its eggs anywhere except where it was 
itself hatched out. They lay from eighty to one hundred and twenty eggs every 
other year. Of this I have been assured by persons who have artificial ponds and 
keep them the year round for their own table. September and October are the 
months for depositing their eggs." 

Br. Kidder says : — 

"The turtle-egg butter of Amazonia [manteiga da tartaruga) is a substance quite 
peculiar to this quarter of the globe. At certain seasons of the year the turtles 
appear by thousands on the banks of the rivers, in order to deposit their eggs upon 
the sand. The noise of their shells striking against each other in the rush is said 
to be sometimes heard at a great distance. Their work commences at dusk and 
ends with the following dawn, when they retire to the water. 

"During the daytime the inhabitants collect these eggs and pile them up in heaps 
resembling the stacks of cannon-balls seen at a navy-yard. These heaps are often 
twenty feet in diameter, and of a corresponding height. While yet fresh they are 
thrown into wooden canoes, or other large vessels, and broken with sticks and 
stamped fine with the feet. Water is then poured on, and the whole is exposed to 
the rays of the sun. The heat brings the oily matter of the eggs to the surface, 
from which it is skimmed off with cuyas and shells. After this it is subjected 
to a moderate heat until ready for use. When clarified, it has the appearance of 
butter that has been melted. It always retains the taste of fish-oil, but is much 
prized for seasoning by the Indians and those who are accustomed to its use. It is 
conveyed to market in earthen jars. In earlier times it was estimated that nearly 
two hundred and fifty millions of turtles' eggs were annually destroyed in the manu- 
facture of this manteiga. Recently the number is less, owing to the gradual 
inroads made upon the turtle race, and also to the advance of civilization." 

But the Government now regulates the turtle-egg harvest, so that 



The Great Skill of the Caboclo Archers. 557 



their numbers may not be so rapidly diminished. There are some 
extensive beaches Which yield two thousand pots of oil annually : 
each pot contains five gallons, and requires about twenty-five hun- 
dred eggs, which would give five million ova destroyed in one 
locality. 

Indeed, it is a wonder how the turtles can ever come to maturity. 
As they issue from the eggs and make their way to the water, 
many enemies are awaiting them. Huge alligators swallow them 
by hundreds; the jaguars feed upon them;* eagles, buzzards, and 
great wood-ibises are their devourers; and, when they have escaped 
these land-foes, many ravenous fishes are ready to seize them in 
the stream. They are, however, so prolific, that it has remained 
for their most fatal enemy, man, to visibly diminish their number. 

The Indians take the full-grown turtle in a net, or catch him 
with a hook, or shoot him with an arrow. The latter is a most 
ingenious method, and requires more skill than to shoot a bird upon 
the wing. The turtle never shows its back above the water, but, 
rising to breathe, its nostrils only are protruded above the surface : 
so slight, however, is the rippling that none but the Indian's keen 
eyes perceive it. If he shoot an arrow obliquely it would glance 
off the smooth shell: therefore he aims into the air, and apparently 
" draws a bow at a venture;" but he sends up his missile with such 
wonderfully accurate judgment that it describes a parabola and 
descends nearly vertically into the back of the turtle. {Wallace.') 
The arrow-head fits loosely to the shaft, and is attached to it by a 
long fine cord carefully wound, around the wood, so that when the 
turtle dives the barb descends, the string unwinds, and the light 
shaft forms a float or buoy, which the Indian secures, and by the 
attached cord he draws the prize up into his canoe. Nearly all 
the turtles sold in market are taken in this manner, and the little 



* " The jaguar, say the Indians, is the most cunning animal in the forest : he can 
imitate the voice of almost every bird and animal so exactly as to draw them 
toward him : he fishes in the rivers, lashing the water with his tail to imitate falling 
fruit, and, when the fish approach, hooks them up with his claws. He catches and 
eats turtles, and I have myself found the unbroken shells, which he has completely 
cleaned out with his paws : he even attacks the cow-fish in its own element, and an 
eye-witness assured me that he had watched one dragging out of the water this 
bulky animal, weighing as much as a large ox." — Wallace. 



558 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



square vertical hole made by the arrow-head may generally be seen 
in the shell. 

In connection with this might be mentioned the archery of some 
of the civilized Indians in various portions of the Empire. A large 
and strong bow is bent by their legs. In this way they are able to 
shoot game at a great distance. 




CABOCLO ARCHERS. 

As to the birds of the Amazon, they are everywhere brilliant 
beyond birds in any other portion of the world. Some, like the 
dancing cock of the rock, and the curious and little-known umbrella- 
bird, are very difficult to obtain. I can only mention the latter. 

This singular bird is about the size of a raven, and is of a similar 
color; but its feathers have a more scaly appearance, from being 
margined with a different shade of glossy blue. On its head it 
bears a crest different from that of any other bird. It is formed 
of feathers more than two inches long, very thickly set, and with 
hairy plumes curving over at the end. These can be laid back so 
as to be hardly visible, or can be erected and spread out on every 
side, forming, as has been remarked, " a hemispherical, or rather 
a hemi-ellipsoidal, dome, completely covering the head, and even 
reaching beyond the point of the beak." It inhabits the flooded 
islands of the Eio Negro and the Solimoes, never appearing on the 



The Umbrella-Bird. 



559 



mainland. It feeds on fruits, and utters a loud, hoarse cry, like 
some deep musical instrument, — whence its Indian name, Uera- 
mimbe, " trumpet-bird. " 

And what can be said of the countless tribes of insects that 
swarm in the Amazonian 
forests ? My first ac- 
quaintance with the rich 
living gems of Brazil was 
made at the retired resi- 
dence of Mr. G-., in the 
lovely Larangeiras at Bio 
de Janeiro, and after- 
ward in various parts of 
the Empire. I did not 
cease to wonder at the 
innumerable and bril- 
liant hosts of Lepidop- 
tera, Coleoptera, Heli-co- 
niidse, &c. &c. It would 
require volumes to note 
them. In the vicinity 
of Para itself there is 
ample opportunity for 
the study of nature. 

Dr. Kidder visited the 
American rice-mills situated twelve miles distant from the city, 
and thus describes the excursion : — 




THE UMBREL LA-B I Ft D. 



" Our way led through a deep, unbroken forest, of a density and a magnitude 
of which I had, before penetrating it, but a faint conception. Notwithstanding this 
is one of the most public roads leading to or from the city, yet it is only for a short 
distance passable for carriages. Indeed, the branches of trees are not unfrequently 
in the way of the rider on horseback. A negro is sent through the path periodically 
with a sabre to clip the increasing foliage and branches before they become too 
formidable. Thus the road is kept open and pleasant. Notwithstanding the heat 
of the sun in these regions at noonday, and the danger of too much exposure to 
its rays, an agreeable coolness always pervades those retreats of an Amazonian 
forest, whose lofty and umbrageous canopy is almost impenetrable. The brilliancy 
of the sun's glare is mellowed by innumerable reflections upon the polished surface 
of the leaves. Many of the trees are remarkably straight and very tall. Some 
of them are decked from top to bottom with splendid flowers and parasites, while 



560 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



the trunks and boughs of nearly all are interlaced with innumerable- runners and 
creeping vines. 

"These plants form a singular feature of the more fertile regions of Brazil. But 
it is on the borders of the Amazon that they appear in their greatest strength and 
luxuriance. They twist around the trees, climbing up to their tops, then grow 
down to the ground, and, taking root, spring up again and cross from bough to 
bough and from tree to tree, wherever the wind carries their limber shoots, till the 
whole woods are hung with their garlanding. This vegetable cordage is sometimes 
so closely interwoven that it has the appearance of network, which neither birds 
nor beasts can easily pass through. Some of the stems are as thick as a man's 
arm. They are round or square, and sometimes triangular, and even pentangular. 
They grow in knots and screws, and, indeed, in every possible contortion to which 
they may be bent. To break them is impossible. Sometimes they kill the tree 
which supports them, and occasionally remain standing erect, like a twisted column, 
after the trunk which they have strangled has mouldered within their involutions. 
Monkeys delight to play their gambols upon this wild rigging ; but they are now 
scarce in the neighborhood of Para. Occasionally their chatter is heard at a dis- 
tance, mingled with the shrill cries of birds ; but generally a deep stillness prevails, 
adding grandeur to the native majesty of these forests. 

********** 

"On our route to Maguary, I was surprised to see lands which ten or twelve 
years ago had been planted with sugarcane now entirely overgrown with trees of 
no insignificant dimensions. Only a few acres immediately around the engenho had 
been kept free from these encroachments. Here was located the first mill for 
cleaning rice ever built in the vicinity of Para. It was established by North 
American enterprise. A small water-power existed on the site ; but, after the mills 
were constructed, it was found that this power was insufficient in the dry season : 
consequently, a steam-engine of sixteen horse-power was imported from the United 
States, and has been made to do good service. The steam-power was kept in action 
constantly, and, at proper seasons, the water-power also. Both were inadequate 
to the amount of business that offered. Several American mechanics were em- 
ployed at this establishment, which, small as it is, compares favorably with any 
mechanical establishment in the whole country. A stream connects this engenho 
with the great river, and thus furnishes cheap conveyance for cargoes to and 
from the city." 

My colleague also had some experience at Para not quite so 

agreeable as riding through Amazonian forests : — > 

" Soon after my arrival, in company of the United States Consul, I waited on 
Senhor Franco, the president of the province, to whom I bore a letter of commenda- 
tion. This individual had formerly been clerk in one of the English mercantile 
houses in Para, and was subsequently educated as a beneficiary of the province, 
of which he had now become the chief magistrate. He received us with civility, 
and in person conducted us through the palace. I found that building one of the 
best of the kind in the Empire. It was built, together with the cathedral and some 
of the churches, in the days of that talented but ambitious prime minister of Por- 
tugal, the Marquis of Pombal, who cherished the splendid idea of having the throne 
of Portugal and all her dominions transferred from the banks of the Tagus to those 
of the Amazon. This circumstance accounts for the ample size and magnificent 
structure of these buildings in a town of moderate extent. 



The "Pastoral" of the Bishop. 5G1 

"At a proper time I waited on the juiz de direito, — the chief officer of the police, 
— to exhibit my passport and obtain a license of residence in the very loyal and 
heroic city of Para and the province of which it was the capital. No embarrass- 
ments were put in my way, and no detention occurred. I obtained the requisite 
license, and kept it until I had occasion to obtain a new passport on my departure. 
Nevertheless, it appeared at one period that my unmolested residence in the city 
was very much in jeopardy. 

V The old Bishop of Para seemed to have caught the contagion of alarm from his 
colleague in Maranham ; and both these prelates — yielding more than their sober 
judgment should have allowed them to certain unfounded and malicious repre- 
sentations sent them from some quarter — wrote to Senhor Franco concerning me 
as a very dangerous person, who ought not to be suffered to land in the province. 
The president probably satisfied himself on that point during my visit to him; and 
although he owed his political elevation very much to his ecclesiastical patrons, yet 
he managed to satisfy their apprehensions by a very short and formal correspond- 
ence with the American Consul. No person interfered with me or any of my pur- 
suits from first to last." 

The see of Para is certainly still very much endangered by the 
Bible, if we may judge from the " pastoral" issued in the Diario do 
Commercio (of the 8th of April, 1857) by Dom Jose Affonso de Moraes 
Torres, "by the grace of God and of the Holy Apostolical See, 
Bishop of Grao Para." The good bishop seems to be terribly exer- 
cised by what he terms uma Sociedade Biblica ultimamente creada 
com o noma de Allianga Christa, (a Bible Society lately created 
under the name of the Christian Alliance.) He says that its 
emissaries circulate books, one of which — a catechism — he has 
read, and that in it he "encounters a doctrine entirely opposed to 
the belief of the Church of Jesus Christ." That which particularly 
stirs up his ire is that the little book teaches that the worship of 
images is idolatry. He then insists that such worship is altogether 
right, only that the internal operation of the mind is not exactly 
the same as when worshipping God. He not only hurls his invec- 
tives at the little book and at heretics, but proves from Scripture 
that we can be doing God's service in adoring his creatures. He 
adduces, with decided emphasis, that Abraham worshipped the 
angels and adored the sons of Heth (!) [adorou os filhos de ffeth. 
Gen. xxiii. 7.] 

The true head of offence in the little book is that it contains 

unmutilated the Ten Commandments. I have in my possession the 

Ten Commandments as they are printed in all the books of religious 

instruction in Portugal and in some parts of Brazil, and the second 

commandment is entirely omitted; and, in order to make up the 

36 



562 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



Decalogue, the tenth commandment is thus divided. " Thou shalt 
not covet thy neighbor's house" figures as the ninth, and "Thou 
shalt not covet thy neighbor's wife/' &c. &c, "nor any thing that 
is thy neighbor's/' is the tenth. 

The state of religion at Para is by no means flattering, and the 
heart is as far from being reached by empty forms and gorgeous 
pageants on the Amazon as it is on the Tiber or the Danube. The 
grand annual festival of Nazare always attracts from the city an 
immense crowd, who go not for religious edification, but for the 
nine days' feasting, dancing, fireworks, and gaming. 

General reflections upon the character and tendency of such a 
scene of festivities — so absorbing to a whole community and so 
long continued — seem unnecessary. If it had no religious preten- 
sions it would be less exceptionable ; but for a people to be made 
to think themselves doing God's service while mingling in such 
amusements and follies is painfully lamentable. 



CHAPTEK XXVII. 



AMAZONAS — ITS DISCOVERY — EL DORADO — GONCALO PIZARRO — HIS EXPEDITION — 

CRUELTIES — SUFFERINGS DESERTION OF ORELLANA HIS DESCENT OF THE 

RIVER — FABLE OF THE AMAZONS FATE OF THE ADVENTURER NAME OF THE 

RIVER — .SETTLEMENT OF THE COUNTRY — SUCCESSIVE EXPEDITIONS UP AND DOWN 

THE AMAZON SUFFERINGS OF MADAME GODIN PRESENT STATE — VICTORIA 

REGIA STEAM-NAVIGATION EFFECTS OF HERNDON AND GIBBON'S REPORT — 

PERUVIAN STEAMERS THE FUTURE PROSPECTS OF THE AMAZON. 

Amazonas (or Alto Amazonas) is the most northern province of 

Brazil. My colleague thus writes in regard to the history of this 

vast and almost-unknown division of the Empire : — 

"No portion of the earth involves a greater degree of physical interest. Its 
central position upon the equator, its vast extent, its unlimited resources, its mam- 
moth rivers, and the romance that still lingers in its name and history, are all 
peculiar. Three hundred years have elapsed since this region was discovered ; but 
down to the present day two-thirds of it remains uncivilized and almost unex- 
plored. 

"Indeed, few persons, save the Indians, and the slave-hunters who once pursued 
them, have even penetrated its remote sections, or seen any parts of it save the 
banks of navigable rivers. The circumstances of its discovery will ever be con- 
sidered remarkable. It was about the middle of the sixteenth century when the 
fable of El Dorado filled the public mind of Europe. The existence of a New 
World was then fully demonstrated, and the leaven of desire for its undeveloped 
treasures had spread from court to camp, from princes to beggars, until the whole 
mass of society was in a ferment. Avarice, personified under the garb of adven- 
ture, bestrode the ocean. Scarcely did her footsteps touch the shores of the New 
World, ere they were bathed in blood. She commenced her work of desolation 
in the fair islands of the Caribbean. She eaused the din of arms to resound in 
the primeval forests and aboriginal cities of the continent. She scaled the 
Cordilleras, and laid waste savannahs upon both the Atlantic and the Pacific 
shores. 

"Among the bloodthirsty and cruel men who stood forth as leaders in the work 
of conquest and plunder, Goncalo Pizarro, the brother and associate of the con- 
queror of Peru, was second to few, if any. His talents may have been less, but 
his daring and cruelty were greater. In 1541, this adventurer set out from Quito, 
with an army of three hundred soldiers, and four thousand Indians to serve them 
as bearers of burdens, with the design of discovering the land of gold. This was 

563 



564 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



an imaginary kingdom, shaped out of the half-comprehended tales of the persecuted 
Indians and exaggerated by the most extravagant fancies. 

" This fabulous kingdom received a name from the fashion of its monarch, "who 
was said, in order to wear a more magnificent attire than any other potentate in 
the world, to put on a daily coating of gold-dust. His body was anointed every 
morning with a costly and fragrant gum, to which the gold-dust adhered when 
blown over him by a tube. In this barbaric attire the Spaniards denominated him 
El Dorado, — the Gilded King. No fictions concerning this monarch or his kingdom 
were too extravagant for credence. He was generally located in the grand city of 
Manoa, in which no fewer than three thousand workmen were employed in the sil- 
versmiths' street. The columns of his palace were described as of porphyry and 
alabaster : the throne was ivory, and the steps leading to it were of gold. Others 
built the palace of white stone, and ornamented it with golden suns and moons of 
silver, while living lions, fastened by chains of gold, guarded its entrance. With 
day-dreams like these dancing before the minds of commanders and soldiers, the 
army of Pizarro set out, cherishing the highest anticipations. 

"In proceeding eastward from Quito, they were obliged to cut their way through 
forests, to climb mountains, and to contend with hostile tribes of Indians. Every 
tribe with which they met was interrogated about El Dorado, and when unable to 
give any intelligence of it they were put to torture : some were even burned alive, 
and others were torn to pieces by bloodhounds, which the Spaniards had trained to 
feed on human flesh. 

"The effects of this dreadful cruelty returned upon the heads of its perpetrators 
with a terrible vengeance. As the tidings of their approach spread from tribe to 
tribe, the poor natives learned to flatter their hopes and send them along. The 
rains came on, and, lasting for months, rotted the garments from the bodies of the 
soldiers, who could neither make nor find a shelter. At length their provisions 
were exhausted, and they began to feed upon their dogs. The sick multiplied, so 
that they were obliged to build a brigantine in which to carry them. This was a 
herculean task for soldiers to perform, especially without the requisite implements. 
Before it was accomplished they had to slaughter their horses for food. Their 
troubles continued and even increased : still, with death staring them in the face, 
Pizarro continued to seize prisoners, and put them in irons when he supposed they 
desired to escape. "When they at length stood upon the banks of the river Napo, 
not less than one thousand of the Peruvians had perished. 

"The commander now heard of a larger river into which this emptied, and was 
told that the country surrounding the junction was fertile and abounding in pro- 
visions. He therefore determined to despatch the vessel with fifty men to procure 
supplies for the rest. Francisco de Orellana, a knight of Truxiilo, was put in com- 
mand of this expedition. The stream carried them rapidly downward through an 
uninhabited and desert country. When they had descended about three hundred 
miles, the question was started whether they should not abandon the idea of return- 
ing. They had not found food sufficient for themselves ; and how could they succor 
the army ? Besides, how could they ascend against the current in their enfeebled 
state ? It would only be to perish with the rest. They might as well continue 
their descent, for 'rivers to the ocean run,' and there was some chance that they 
might in this way not only save their lives but also immortalize their names by new 
discoveries. Orellana urged these considerations with so much plausibility, that 
all consented save two, — a Dominican friar and a young knight of Badajoz, who con- 
tended against the plan as treacherous and cruel. Orellana disposed of this objec- 



The Expedition of Orellana. 



565 



tion by setting the knight on shore, to perish or return to the army as he best could. 
The friar became an easy convert to the new scheme, and thenceforward took a pro- 
minent part in it. Orellana renounced the commission he had received from 
Pizarro, and received an election from his men as their commander, so that he might 
make discoveries in his own name, and not under delegated authority in the name 
of another. 

" It was on the last day of December, 1541, that this adventurous voyage was 
commenced, after mass had been said by the Dominican. Their prospects were 
gloomy enough. Their stock of provisions was wholly exhausted, and they were 
forced to boil the soles of their shoes and their leathern girdles, in hope of deriving 
nourishment from them. 

" It also became necessary to build a better vessel. This being accomplished 
with great difficulty and delay, they resumed their voyage. Sometimes they met 
with a kind reception from the Indians, but more generally they had to fight their 
way with great losses and imminent danger of complete destruction. 

" It was in the month of June that, during a battle with a hostile tribe, they dis- 
covered what they reported to be Amazons. Friar Gaspar, the Dominican, affirms 
that ten or twelve of these women fought at the head of the tribe which was subject 
to their authority. He described them as very tall and large-limbed, having a white 
complexion, and long hair plaited and banded around their head. Their only article 
of dress was a cincture, but they were armed with bows and arrows. The men 
fought desperately, because, if they deserted, they would be beaten to death by 
these female tyrants ; but, when the Spaniards had slain some seven or eight of the 
latter, the Indians fled. These stories were generally believed to have been delibe- 
rate falsehoods fabricated with the idea of giving consequence to the voyage. The 
existence, however, of a powerful tribe of Amazons in that portion of South Ame- 
rica was a subject of deliberate inquiry and grave discussion for at least two cen- 
turies. Condamine and others favored the opinion that there had been such a 
people, of which some remnants remained till about the time of Orellana, soon after 
which they became extinct by amalgamation with surrounding tribes. The Spanish 
historian Herrera has given detailed accounts of the adventures of Orellana, com- 
piled from his own statements, endorsed by his veracious chronicler, Friar Gaspar. 
They contain, however, but little authentic information. But, strange as it may 
seem, modern investigation (as will be seen hereafter) has proved that the veracious 
frade apparently spoke the truth. 

" In the course of seven months they reached the ocean. After some repairs 
made upon their vessels, they sailed out of the great river during the month of 
August, and on the 11th of September they made the island of Cubagua. Orellana 
proceeded thence to Spain, to give an account of his discoveries in person. 

" The excuse he presented for deserting Pizarro was accepted, and, on solicita- 
tion, he received a grant of the conquest of the regions he had discovered. He 
had but little difficulty in raising funds or enlisting adventurers for his expedition. 
It, however, proved disastrous. His fleet arrived out in 1514, but, amid the labyrinth 
of channels at the mouth of the river, it was impossible to find the main branch. 
After a month or two spent in beating about, without being able to ascend the river 
or to accomplish any important object, Orellana succumbed to his misfortunes, and, 
like many of his men, sickened and died. He was the first to descend the embouch- 
ment of the Amazon ; but Pinzon is said to have discovered the mighty current in 1 500. 

"Mr. Southey had so much respect for his memory, that he made an effort in his 
history to restore the name of Orellana to the great river. He discarded Maranon, 



566 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



as having too much resemblance to Maranham,* and Amazon, as being founded 
upon fiction and at the same time inconvenient. Accordingly, in his map, and in 
all his references to the great river, he denominates it Orellana. 

" This decision of the poet-laureate of Great Britain has not proved authoritative 
in Brazil. Amazonas is the universal appellation of the great river among those 
who float upon its waters and who live upon its banks, and is now given to the new 
province whose capital is the Barra do Rio Negro. 

"Para, the aboriginal name of this river, was more appropriate than any other. 
It signifies 'the father of waters.' The term 'Para River' designates the southern, 
in opposition to the northern, principal mouth of the Amazon, and also the province 
through which the mighty river finds the ocean." 

The name Amazonas has been stated by some to be derived from 
the Indian word Amassona, — a term, it is pretended, applied to the 
wonderful phenomenon of a high tide of these rivers two days 
before and two days after full-moon, which extends to the very 
confluence of the Madeira. As this tide is very destructive to 
small craft, the natives called it Amassona, ("boat-breaker.") This 
story, it seems to me, has no foundation whatever. I do not believe 
Amassona to be an aboriginal term; for the Portuguese substantive 
ainds means "a heap," and the simple verb amassar means "to 
knead," "to bruise," &c; while the reflex verb amassar-se means 
" to heap up itself." 

The origin of the name and the mysteiy concerning the female 
warriors, I think, has been solved, within the last few years, by the 
intrepid Mr. Wallace, who left the beaten track, — the bed of the 
great river, — and in the remotest haunts of the wild man, by his 
persevering patience and his knowledge of the Lingoa Geral, has 
given much information to the world concerning the little-known 
interior. 

I believe it will now be found that, although the early monkish 
chroniclers of the j^ew World often used their imaginations instead 
of being content with facts, they were in this case not so culpable 
as many have supposed. They really believed that they had fought 
with female warriors, and certainly appearances were in favor of 
their truthfulness. Mr. Wallace, I think, conclusively shows that 
Friar G-aspar and his companions saw Indian male warriors who 
were attired in habiliments such as Europeans would attribute 

* Both words have evidently a common origin, being derived from the Portuguese 
mare, "the sea," and nao, "not," — not the sea. as a great river near its mouth 
appears to be. 



Origin of the Xame Kio Amazonas. 567 



to woman. Mr. Wallace visited numerous tribes on the upper 

affluents of the Amazon, and, in speaking of their language, habits 

of dress, and other characteristics, he says, — 

" The use of ornaments and trinkets of various kinds is almost confined to the 
men. The women wear a bracelet on the wrists, but no necklace, or any comb in 
the hair : they have a garter below the knee, worn tight from infancy, for the pur- 
pose of swelling out the calf, which they consider a great beauty. While dancing 
in their festivals, the women wear a small tanga, or apron, made of beads prettily 
arranged : it is never worn at any other time, and immediately the dance is over 
it is taken off. 

" The men, on the other hand, have the hair carefully parted and combed on 
each side and tied in a queue behind. In the young men it hangs in long locks 
down their necks, and, with the comb, which is invariably carried stuck on the top 
of the head, gives to them a most feminine appearance : this is increased by the 
large necklaces and bracelets of beads and the careful extirpation of every symptom 
of beard. Taking these circumstances into consideration, I am strongly of opinion 
that the story of the Amazons has arisen from these feminine-looking warriors en- 
countered by the early voyagers. I am inclined to this belief from the effect they 
first produced on myself, when it was only by close examination that I found they 
were men ; and, were the front parts of their bodies and their breasts covered with 
shields such as they always use, I am convinced any person seeing them for the 
first time would conclude they were women. We have only, therefore, to suppose 
that tribes having similar customs to those now existing on the river Uaupes in- 
habited the regions where the Amazons were reported to have been seen, and we 
have a rational explanation of what has so much puzzled all geographers. The 
only objection to this explanation is, that traditions are said to exist among the 
natives, of 4 a nation of women without husbands.' Of this tradition I was myself 
unable to obtain any trace, and I can easily imagine it entirely to have arisen from 
the suggestions and inquiries of Europeans themselves. When the story of the 
Amazons was first made known, it became, of course, a point with all future tra- 
vellers to verify it, or, if possible, to get a glimpse of these warlike ladies. The 
Indians must no doubt have been overwhelmed with questions and suggestions 
about them, and they, thinking that the white men must know best, would transmit 
to their descendants and families the idea that such a nation did exist in some dis- 
tant part of the country. Succeeding travellers, finding traces of this idea among 
the Indians, would take it as a proof of the existence of the Amazons, instead of 
being merely the effect of a mistake at first, which had been unknowingly spread 
by preceding travellers seeking to obtain some information on the subject. 

" In my communications and inquiries among the Indians on various matters, I 
have always found the greatest caution necessary to prevent one's arriving at wrong 
conclusions. They are always apt to affirm that which they see you wish to be- 
lieve, and, when they do not at all comprehend your question, will unhesitatingly 
answer, 'Yes.' " 

Having thus explained the origin of the word Amazonas, we will 

again turn to the historic sketch of Dr. Kidder : — 

"About seventy years after the events (the voyage of Orellana) above narrated, 
the Portuguese began to settle in Para, advancing from Maranham. In 1616, Fran- 
cisco Cadeira, the first chief-captain, laid the foundations of the present city of Para, 



568 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



under the protection of Nossa Senhora de Belem. In 1637, another party descended 
the Amazon from Quito. It was composed of two Franciscan friars and six sol- 
diers, who had been sent on a mission to the Indians upon the frontiers of Peru. 
The mission proved unsuccessful. Some of the missionaries grew weary and re- 
turned ; others persisted until the savages attacked and murdered the commander 
of their escort of soldiers, when all dispersed. Those who were disheartened at the 
prospect of the dreadful journey back to Quito committed themselves to the waters, 
as Orellana had done nearly a century before. They reached Belem in safety, but 
so stupefied with fear as to be unable to give any satisfactory account of what they 
had seen. It was enough for them to have escaped from the horrid cannibals 
through whose midst they had passed. 

"In the same year, the first expedition for the ascent of the Amazon was 
organized. It was commanded by Pedro Teixeira, and was composed of seventy 
soldiers, twelve hundred native rowers and bowmen, besides females and slaves, 
who increased the number to about two thousand. They embarked in forty-five 
canoes. The strength of the opposing current and the difficulty of finding their 
course amid the labyrinthian channels of the river rendered their enterprise one 
of unparalleled toil. Many of the Indians deserted, and nothing but unwearied 
perseverance and great tact enabled Teixeira to keep the rest. After a voyage of 
eight months, he reached the extent of navigation. Leaving most of his men with 
his canoes at this place, he continued his journey overland to Quito, where he was 
received with distinguished honors, He was accompanied on his return by several 
friars, whose business it was to record the incidents and observations of the voyage. 
A considerable amount of authentic information was thus collected and published 
to the world. The party reached Belem in December, 1639, amid great rejoicings. 
After this, voyages upon the Amazon became more common. 

"In 1745, M. La Condamine, a French academician, descended from Quito, and 
constructed a map of the river, based upon a series of astronomical observations. 
His memoir, read before the Royal Academy on his return, remains to this day a 
very interesting work. In modern times, the most celebrated voyages down the 
Amazon have been described at length by those who accomplished them, — e.g. Spix 
and Von Martius, Lister Mawe, Lieutenants Smyth, Herndon and Gibbon, and 
Mr. Wallace. 

"The expeditions to which I have alluded have generally been prosperous, and 
not attended with any peculiar misfortunes. Not so with every voyage that has 
been undertaken upon these interminable waters. The sufferings of Madame Grodin 
des Odonnais have hardly a parallel on record. The husband of this lady was an 
astronomer associated with M. Condamine. He had taken his family with him to 
reside in Quito, but, being ordered to Cayenne, was obliged to leave them behind. 
Circumstances transpired to prevent his returning for a period of sixteen years, and 
when finally he made the attempt to ascend the Amazon he was taken sick and 
could not proceed. All the messages that he attempted to send his absent wife 
failed of their destination. In the mean time a rumor reached her that an expedi- 
tion had been despatched to meet her at some of the missions on the Upper Amazon. 
She immediately resolved to set out on the perilous journey. She was accompanied 
by her family, including three females, two children, and two or three men, one of 
whom was her brother. They surmounted the Andes and passed down the tributary 
streams of the Amazon without serious difficulties ; but the farther they entered 
into the measureless solitudes that lay before them, the more their troubles in- 
creased. The missions were found in a state of desolation under the ravages of 



The Heroism of Madame Godin. 



569 



the smallpox. The village where they expected to find Indians to conduct them 
down the river had but two inhabitants surviving : these poor creatures could not 
aid them, and they were left without guides or canoe-men. Ignorant of navigation, 
and unaccustomed to either toil or danger, their misery was now beyond descrip- 
tion. Their canoe, in drifting on the current, filled with water, and they barely 
escaped with life and a few provisions. They managed to construct a raft ; but this 
was soon torn to pieces upon a snag. The forlorn company again escape to the 
shore, and, as their oidy alternative, attempt to make their way on foot. Without 
map or compass, they know not whither they go. In attempting to follow the 
windings of the stream they become bewildered, and finally plunge into the depths 
of the forest. Wild fruits and succulent plants now furnish them their only food. 
Weakened by hunger, they soon fall victims to disease. 

"In a few days Madame Godin, the sole survivor, stood surrounded by eight 
dead bodies! Imagine the horror that overwhelmed her as she saw one after 
another of her friends and family in the agonies of death ! In the desperation of 
the hour she attempted to bury them, but found it impossible. After two days 
spent in mourning over the dead, she roused up with a determination to make 
another effort to seek her long-lost husband. She was now nearly three thousand 
miles from the ocean, without food, and with her delicate feet lacerated by thorns. 
Taking the shoes of one of the dead men, she started upon her dreary way. What 
phantoms now torture her imagination and people the wilderness with frightful 
monsters ! But she wanders on. Days of wretchedness and nights of horror 
ensue. At length, on the ninth day, she heard the noise of a canoe, and, running 
to the river-side, she was taken up by a party of Indians. Suffice it to say that 
they conducted her to one of the missions, from which, after long delays and great 
exposure, she was finally conveyed down the Amazon and restored to her husband 
after nineteen years' separation. They returned to France together and spent the 
remnant of their days in retirement ; but Madame Gr. never fully recovered from 
the effects of her fright and sufferings. 

"Even at this day, the traveller upon the waters of the Amazon, above Para, 
finds himself in a wild and uncultivated region. He will scarcely see fifty houses 
in three hundred miles. There are but few settlements directly on the river. Most of 
the villages are on the tributary streams and the Iguaripes, or bayous. The houses 
universally have mud floors and thatched roofs ; and, though the population is in- 
creasing, I fear that for a long time to come 
the great majority of the inhabitants in 
the immediate vicinity of the Lower Ama- 
zon will be such as are depicted in the 
engraving. 

"Notwithstanding all the beautiful 
theories respecting steam-navigation on 
the waters of the Amazon and its tribu- 
taries, nothing was accomplished deserv- 
ing the name until 1853. As far back 
as the year 1827, an association, called 
the South American Steamboat Com- 
pany, was organized in New York, with 
the express design of promoting that 

navigation. It owed its origin to the suggestion of the Brazilian Government 
through its charge d'affaires, Mr. Rebello, resident in the United States, who 




570 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



stipulated decided encouragements, and the grant of special privileges on the part 
of His Majesty Dom Pedro I. A steamboat was fitted out and sent to Para, and 
other heavy expenses were incurred by the company ; but, through a lack of co- 
operation on the part of Brazil, the whole enterprise proved a failure. Claims for 
indemnification to a large amount were for a long time pending before the Brazilian 
Government. 

"After 1838, small Government steamers were from time to time sent up the 
Amazon as far as the River Negro. Such voyages were repeated at intervals, and 
sufficed for steam-navigation on the Amazon until 1853. The globe does not else- 
where present such a splendid theatre for steam-enterprise. Not only is the Amazon 
navigable for more than three thousand miles, but the Tocantins, the Chingu, the 
Tapajos, the Madeira, the Negro, and other affluents, are unitedly navigable several 
thousand more. All these rivers flow through the richest soil and the most luxu- 
rious vegetation in the world." 

Near their margin is found the giant of Flora's kingdom, whose 
discovery a few years since is as notable a fact to the naturalist 
world as the regular opening of steam-navigation upon the Amazon 
is to the commercial world. 

Of all the Nymphseacese, the largest, the richest, and the most 
beautiful is the marvellous plant which has been dedicated to the 
Queen of England, and which bears the name of Victoria Regia. 
It inhabits the tranquil waters of the shallow lakes formed by the 
widening of the Amazon and its affluents. Its leaves measure from 
fifteen to eighteen feet in circumference. Their upper part is of 
a dark, glossy green ; the under portion is of a crimson red, fur- 
nished with large, salient veins, which are cellular and full of air, 
and have the stem covered with elastic prickles. The flowers lift 
themselves about six inches above the water, and when full blown 
have a circumference of from three to four feet. The petals unfold 
toward evening : their color, at first of the purest white, passes, in 
twenty-four hours, through successive hues from a tender rose-tinge 
to a bright red. During the first day of their bloom they exhale a 
delightful fragrance, and at the end of the third day the flower fades 
away and replunges beneath the waters, there to ripen its seeds. 
"When matured, these fruit-seeds, rich in fecula, are gathered 
by the natives, who roast them, and relish them thus prepared. 

The description of this magnificent plant explains the admiration 
experienced by naturalists when beholding it for the first time. The 
celebrated Haenke was travelling in a pirogue on the Eio Mamore, 
in company with Father Lacueva, a Spanish missionary, when he 
discovered, in the still waters close to the shore, this gigantic 



The Victoria Eegia. 



571 



Nymphaeacese. At the sight the botanist fell upon his knees, and — 
as a not very pious French writer very Frenchily records — expressed 
his religious and scientific enthusiasm by impassioned exclama- 
tions and outbursts of adoration to the Creator, — "an improvised 
Te Deum which must have deeply impressed the old missionary." 




THE VICTORIA REGIA AND THE BOAT-BILL. 



In 1845, an English traveller, Mr. Bridges, as he was following 
the wooded banks of the Yacouma, one of the tributaries of the 
Mamore, came to a lake hidden in the forest, and found upon it a 
colony of Victoria Begias. Carried away by his admiration, he was 
about to plunge into the water for the purpose of gathering some 
of the flowers, when the Indians who accompanied him pointed to 
the savage alligators lazily reposing upon the surface. This in- 
formation made him cautious; but, without abating his ardor, he 
ran to the city of Santa Anna, and soon obtained a canoe, which 
was launched upon the lake which contained the objects of his 
ambition. The leaves were so enormous that he could place but 



572 Brazil and the Brazilians. 

two of them on the canoe, and he was obliged to make several 
trips to complete his harvest. 

Mr. Bridges soon arrived in England with the seeds, which he 
had sown in moist clay. Two of these germinated in the aquarium 
of the hothouse at Kew. One was sent to the large hothouses of 
Chatsworth : a basin was prepared to receive it, the temperature 
was raised, and the plant was placed in its new resting-place on 
the 10th of August, 1849. Toward the end of September it was 
necessary to enlarge the basin and to double its size, in order to 
give space to the leaves, which developed with great rapidity. 
So large did they become that one of them supported the weight 
of a little girl in an upright position. 

The first bud opened on the beginning of November. The flower 
in bloom was offered by Mr. Paxton (the celebrated designer of the 
London Crystal Palace) to his monarch, and the great personages 
of England hastened to Windsor Castle to admire the beautiful 
homonym of their gracious sovereign. 

The name given to this marvellous plant by Lindley was happily 
chosen; but the natives of the Amazon call it "XJape Japona," — the 
Jacana's oven, — from the fact that the jacana is often seen upon it. 

The jacana is a singular 
spur- winged bird, twice 
the size of a woodcock, 
provided with exceedingly 
long and slender toes (from 
which the French term it 
the surgeon-bird) which 
enable it to glide over 
various water-plants. It 
inhabits the marshes, and 
woods near the water, and 
many a time in the in- 
terior I have seen it steal- 
ing over the lily-leaves on 
the margin of rivers. 
Eeturning from this di- 
gression to the capabilities of the great river for steam-navigation, 
we remark that the extent of the Amazon and its affluents is 




THE JACANA. 



The "King of Waters." 



,073 



immense. From four degrees north latitude to twenty degrees 
south, every stream that flows down the eastern slope of the Andes 
is a tributary of the Amazon. This is as though all the rivers 
from St. Petersburg to Madrid united their waters in one mighty 
flood. 

Geographers have never fully agreed which of the upper tribu- 
taries deserves to be called the main stream of the Amazon; but 
the most recent explorers are decided in considering the Tangu- 
ragua or Upper Maranon as its principal source. This rises in a 
lake — Lauricocha — situated almost in the region of perpetual 
snow. Nearly all the branches of the Amazon are navigable to a 
great distance from their junction with the main trunk, and, col- 
lecting the whole, afford an extent of water-communication un- 
paralleled in any other part of the globe. There is a total of ten 
thousand miles of steam-navigation below all falls; and, these 
obstructions once passed, steamers could be run for four thousand 
miles. 

A volume of fresh water, constantly replenished by copious rains, 
pours forth with such impetus as to force itself — an unmixed cur- 
rent — into the ocean to the distance of eighty leagues. While the 
principal branch of the Ganges discharges 80,000 cubic feet of water 
per second, and the large Brahmapootra 176,200 cubic feet every 
sixtieth part of a minute, the Amazon sends through the narrows 
at Obidos 550,000 cubic feet per second. {Von Martins.*) 

This "king of waters" is remarkable for its wide-spreading 
tributaries. On the north side, the first from the west, below the 
rapids of Manseriche, is the Morona, and then come in succession 
the Pastaga, Tigre, Napo, lea, Japura, Eio Negro, and many 
streams of lesser note. From the south it receives — proceeding 
from west to east — the Huallaga, Ucayali, Yavari or Javary, 
Huta, Hyuruay, Teffe, Coavy, Purus, Madeira, Tapajos, Chingu, 
and Tocantins. Most of these affluents discharge their waters 
into the Amazon by more than one mouth, which frequently are 
widely apart. Thus, the two most distant of the four mouths 
of the Japura are more than two hundred miles asunder, and the 
outer embouchures of the Purus are about one hundred miles from 
each other. In the upper portion of its course the Amazon divides 
Equador from Peru, between which its width varies from half a 



574 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



mile to a mile ; beyond the limits of Equador it increases to two 
miles; and below the Madeira — its most considerable tributary, 
having a course little less than two thousand miles in length — it is 
nearly three miles. Between Faro and Obidos — to which place 
the tide reaches — it decreases to less than a mile ; but below Obidos 
it widens again, and, after the junction of the Tapajos, it is nearly 
seven miles across. The width of the channel of Braganza do 
Norte — the northern mouth of this vast river — is thirty miles 
opposite the island of Marajo and fifty at its embouchure; that 
of the Tangipura Channel is eighteen miles at the junction of the 
Tocantins and thirty at its mouth. 

While the whole area drained by the Mississippi and its branches 
is 1,200,000 square miles, the area of the Amazon and its tributaries 
(not including that of the Tocantins, which is larger than the Ohio 
Yalley) is 2,330,000 square miles. This is more than a third of all 
South America, and equal to two-thirds of all Europe. Mr. Wallace 
has startled Englishmen with the fact that "all Western Europe 
could be placed in it without touching its boundaries, and it would 
even contain the whole of our Indian Empire." 

In 1851-52, Lieutenants (U. S. N-) Herndon and Gibbon de- 
scended the Amazon, — one by its Peruvian and the other by its 
Bolivian tributaries. Their interesting reports were published by 
the order of Congress, and are laid before the world. Lieutenant 
G-ibbon passed over the most unknown route, and hence his work 
possesses more intrinsic interest. Lieutenant Herndon's volume 
not only for the moment awakened the United States and England 
to the importance of the Amazon, but the fact of his descent of that 
river and his inferences — many of them totally visionary — aroused 
the Brazilian Government to the performance of their duty, and in 
1852-53, Brazil, by treaty with Peru, engaged to run steamers, 
under the Brazilian flag, from Para, — the contractors to have the 
monopoly of steamboat-navigation on the Amazon for thirty years, 
with an annual bonus of one hundred thousand dollars for the first 
fifteen ; the voyage to be performed by two steamers,— one ascend- 
ing the Amazon from Para, the other descending it from JSTaufca, 
and meeting the up- boat at Barra. 

Nauta is in Peru, on the right bank of the Amazon, forty-six 
leagues below the junction of the Huallaga, and has a population 



Amazonian Steamers. 



575 



of one thousand. This company, under the leading of that en- 
terprising Brazilian, the Baron of Maua, immediately sent its 
first steamer from Para to Nauta. The association, in return for 
privileges granted, contracted to found numerous colonies in the 
provinces of Para and Amazonas. Nearly every month colonists 
under the direction of the Amazon Navigation Company arrive 
from Portugal and her islands at Para. They have already esta- 
blished flourishing colonies at Obidos and at Serpa, and another at 
the mouth of the Eio Negro. They are also engaged to plant 
colonies above the Barra of the Eio Negro, one on the Eio Teffe, 
(above V. de Ega,) three on the Madeira, at Crato and Borba, 
two on the Tapajos, not far from Santarem, and three on the 
Tocantins. 

The contract made by the company with the Portuguese emi- 
grants is this : — 

"They bind themselves to work for the company for two years at a certain com- 
pensation per diem, and to be housed and fed during that period ; and, at the end 
of their apprenticeship, each person is entitled to a certain portion of open land in 
fee-simple, — the heads of families to have a comfortable house on their portion, no 
matter whether they were married before engaging or during their service." 

I asked Mr. Nesbitt — a practical engineer who was for three 
years travelling on the Amazon and some of its navigable tri- 
butaries — his opinion of the steamers employed by the company. 
His reply (April, 1857) was as follows : — 

"Thus far they have succeeded well. The company have fully complied with 
their part of the contract both in Brazil and with Peru. There were seven steamers 
in successful operation in April, 1856, and two new boats expected every week: 
one of these two was the ' Bay City,' built in New York for the Sacramento and San 
Francisco trade, but was so badly twisted in trying to double Cape Horn that she 
put back to Rio de Janeiro for repairs, and was sold for the benefit of the under- 
writers and purchased for the Amazon Company. The names of the seven steamers 
that were running are the 'Tapajoz,' 'Rio Negro,' 'Marajo,' 'Monarcha,' 'Cameta,' 
'Tabatinga,' and 'Solimoes.' The 'Rio Negro' and 'Tapajoz' were the packets from 
Para to the Barra do Rio Negro, — making semi-monthly trips ; but, after the 1st 
of January, 1857, there was to be a weekly packet. The ' Marajo' ran between the 
Barra and Nauta, in Peru, — making a trip every two months, and, after January, 
1857, the trips were to be monthly. The ' Monarcha' was running on the Rio 
Negro, ( rom the Barra to the mouth of the Rio Branco, and intended to go as far 
as Barcellos and Moreira — still higher — whenever the water in the Rio Negro would 
permit, which would be about eight months in the year. The Rio Negro, a few 
leagues above the Barra, spreads out into a very wide bay of some leagues in 
breadth, which renders steam-navigation more difficult than anywhere else on the 
lower river, as it becomes shallower on account of the great width ; but above this 



576 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



bay tli ere is no trouble. There are several lakes adjacent to the Rio Negro, where 
large quantities of fish are caught, salted, and dried for market. There are a 
great many splendid localities for farming-purposes on the Rio Negro above the 
Barra. The « Solimoes' was intended for the Rio Tapajoz. The ' Cameta' was a 
regular packet on the Tocantins, between the city of Para, and the town of Cameta, 
— making monthly trips. 

"All these steamers had as much business as they could well do, — those for the 
Barra more than they could do ; hence the necessity for weekly trips. 

"These steamers were fast superseding the square, stem-and-stern, crawling 
river-canoas ; for as soon as a trader makes one trip in a steamer he begins to set 
some value upon time, and forsakes his three-month mode of getting up stream 
for a three or four days' trip. Captain Pimento Bueno, (son of the distinguished 
Senator,) the energetic and gentlemanly general superintending agent, told me that, 
with the Government bonus and the merchants' business, the steamers paid exceed- 
ingly well. They are all good boats, and most of them built of iron, as that mate- 
rial is decidedly the best, on account of the worms that are so destructive in the 
Amazon. Every town on the river furnishes wood at a fixed rate. The business 
of the steamers is constantly on the increase ; and the industrious inhabitants 
of any of the villages can collect their syringa, Brazil-nuts, sarsaparilla, cacao, 
&c. &c. and send them down to Para by the steamer, and, on her return-trip, re- 
ceive their money. This is creating new artificial wants, and, of course, making 
the people exercise more industry for the purpose of supplying their newly- 
awakened demands. 

"These steamers certainly have done wonders in the last four years toward re- 
volutionizing the whole business of the Amazon Valley ; for, even from Moyabamba, 
Tarapota, and other Peruvian towns among the mountains, they now bring down 
their products in canoes and on bolsas (rafts) to meet the steamer at Nauta, which 
they never thought of doing before. Neither are the advantages of steam confined 
to the business-relations of life ; but there is evidently an increasing desire on the 
part of the great mass of the people to learn more of the outside barbarians." 

Mr. ISTesbitt thus states the effect of the sight of a steamer on 

the remote population of the Upper Amazon : — 

"As we would be passing a sand-bar on the upper rivers in Peru, where a steam- 
boat had never before been heard of, and while all the fishermen and fish-driers 
would be standing in amazement, gazing at the 'monster of the vasty deep,' — not 
knowing whether it was a spirit from the diabo or some new saint sent by the 
Immaculate Virgin, — I would touch the steam-whistle, which would give such an 
unearthly screech that men, women, children, dogs, and monkeys would take to 
their heels and run for dear life, and would never stop to allow me to make 
the amende honorable.'''' 

I was desirous to obtain from this observant and practical man 

an opinion in regard to the views and theories of Lieutenants 

Maury and Herndon concerning the Amazon. In reply, he made 

the following statement : — 

"I think that Lieutenant Maury's letters are painted rather beyond nature ; but 
his ideas of the Amazon Valley and its capabilities are certainly, on the whole, 
nearer the mark than any other writer I have ever read. His theory of climate, and 



Herndon's Expedition — Peruvian Steamers. 577 



his reasons why the Valley of the Amazon is not like the same latitudes in Africa, 
&c. &c., are assuredly correct, in my humble opinion; for I was forcibly impressed 
with their correctness while on the spot. The rainy season is not the incessant 
'pouring down' of Africa, Central America, and the Orinoco-region. It is more 
of a showery season : it is true sometimes when it rains 'it pours,' but the showers 
are of short duration comparatively, and they fall at such regular intervals that one 
can make his calculations for business-engagements almost to a certainty. And you 
will never have a day without seeing the sun more or less. 

"The dry-season is not feverish and scorching ; for scarcely a week — certainly 
not a fortnight — passes without one or more good showers. Such a thing as 
crops suffering for the want of moisture is not known on the Amazon. Although 
the days may be warm, the nights are always cool and pleasant, with very 
heavy dews. 

"Lieutenant Herndon's ideas of the low banks were just such as any person 
would form who travelled down the river in a canoe, as it is impossible for any one 
thus situated to form a correct estimate of the country. It would require years — 
not a few months — to learn the Valley as it ought to be learned. There is not 
nearly so much land subject to inundation as Herndon estimated: notwithstanding, 
there are considerable portions that are overflown at high floods. Herndon's ex- 
pedition left its work unfinished ; but it was of vast service to the country on the 
Amazon, both directly and indirectly, — as that expedition, I have not the least doubt, 
was the lever that moved the Brazilian Government to promote steam-navigation on 
the Amazon. So that was the beginning ; ' but the end is not yet.' " 

In regard to the steamers ordered by Peru — which made the 
contract with Dr. Whittemore, formerly of Lima — to be built at 
New York and transported in pieces to Para, to be run in connec- 
tion with the steamers of the Brazilian and Amazon Navigation 
Company, Mr. Nesbitt gives me the following information: — 

"I went out with the steamers to the Amazon, was with them while they were 
being reconstructed in Para, and, after they were ready to start up the river, I took 
command of one of them. Dr. Whittemore, our leader, commanded the other, and 
proceeded as far as the town of Obidos, where he turned them both over to me 
to deliver to the proper authorities, assisted by his friend, Mr. Z. B. Conely. Dr. 
Whittemore then returned to New York. 

" These steamers were not iron, — as frequently stated by newspaper paragraphs, — 
but were constructed of pure Georgia pine, frame, planking, and all. The smallest 
one was ninety feet long, called the Huallaga ; the other was one hundred and ten 
feet in length, called the Tirado, in honor of the then Secretary of State of Peru." 

In reply to the question, How did the Peruvian steamers turn 
out? Mr. N. replied as follows : — 

" They did not turn out so well as was anticipated, or as could have been desired 
for the credit of our country, whence they came. They were built very light, and 
poorly finished and furnished ; so much so, that the Peruvian Government officer 
who was appointed to receive them refused to do so, so that we were left some 
twenty-five hundred miles up the river from the ocean, with a couple of steamers 
and two American crews, without any provision being made either by the contractor 
or by the Peruvian Government for our support ; and of the stores we had on board 

37 



578 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



a great portion was in a damaged state. Under these circumstances, the agents of 
the contractor were, from the necessity of the case, compelled to compromise with 
the Governor-General of Eastern Peru, — Colonel Francisco Alvarado Ortiz, — who 
had no authority delegated to him in the matter whatever by the Government of 
Peru, but who, in this disagreeable juncture, acted very fairly and was exceedingly 
liberal. By the compromise I had to remain in charge of the steamers until the 
Supreme Government would act in the matter. But the controversy is not yet 
finally settled, I believe, as a part of the contract-money is still due, and the 
Government refuses to pay it, on the ground that the contract was not complied 
with on the part of the contractor. 

" One of them, the Huallaga, never turned a paddle-wheel after she reached 
the port of Nauta, but was tied up to the bank, and was rotting all the time that I 
was there. The other, the Tirado, made a few trips to various points above. I 
took her on two occasions up the Pvio Huallaga almost to Chasuta, which is nearly 
three thousand five hundred miles from the ocean: one of these trips was made during 
the lowest stage of water, and I never found less than fifteen feet water anywhere in the 
river-channel, — so that a steamer of ten feet draught can pass from the Pongo de Sal 
to the Atlantic Ocean any day in the year. These steamers are at the present mo- 
ment becoming more useless every day. Neither of the two boats have been run 
for any purpose since I left them, eighteen months ago ; neither, indeed, can they 
be used, as the Peruvians know nothing about the management of steamboats and 
the engineers have all returned to the United States. The use of them has never 
been worth a dollar to the Government, and never will be. 

"The Salt-rapid on the Huallaga, below Chasuta, is a natural curiosity. The 
banks of the river for more than a league are one solid mass of rock-salt, hard and 
clear as ice, in some places of a bluish-red color, and in others almost white, appa- 
rently the whole very pure, and in sufficient quantity to supply all South America 
for centuries. 

"I have ascended the Huallaga, Ucayali, Pastaga, Madeira, and a short distance 
above the Barra do Rio Negro. The Huallaga, as before mentioned, is navigable 
for steamers the year round, for vessels of ten feet draught, as high as the Pongo de 
Sal, without the least trouble, — and to Chasuta, with ordinary caution and care, — 
and for canoes from Tinga Maria (only three hundred miles from Lima) to the 
mouth, down stream; but the ascent by canoes is very difficult. The country is 
excellent, being very healthy and fertile, with numerous villages all along the banks. 
The Pastaga is a very fine little affluent, and is navigable for steamers several hun- 
dred miles the greatest part of the year ; but there are a number of tribes of hos- 
tile Indians on its lower waters. The land is most excellent, and the best Peruvian 
bark on the upper rivers is found on this stream. There are sometimes small 
quantities of gold brought down by the friendly Indians near its head-waters : I 
have seen some very fine specimens of it. The Ucayali can be ascended by a light- 
draught steamer nearly six hundred miles a part of the year, and as far as Sarayacu 
the whole year. The Rio Madeira is also a fine stream: it is navigable for any 
class of river-steamers to the Falls ; but at no time can a steamer ascend these 
rapids. However, above the dozen rapids, there is plenty of water for several hun- 
dred miles, for a small steamer, the year round." 

In 1853, a translation of Lieutenant Maury's letters was published 

in the widely-circulated Correio Mercantil of Eio de Janeiro; and I 

well remember the commotion his communications on the Amazon 



Effect of Lieutenant Maury's Letters in Brazil. 579 



caused at the capital, in connection with a report that a "flibustier- 
ing" expedition was fitting out at New York to force the opening 
of the great river. 

It is certainly a matter of deep regret that one whose writings 
and scientific investigations have not only received the highest 
encomiums from the great and the learned on both continents, but 
have blessed and are blessing the world, should have permitted 
himself to make use of language which could only inflame a sensitive 
nation, and of some arguments which can only tend to "flibustier- 
mg." If Lieutenant Maury had left out the offensive language, 
and a portion of his reasoning, which has been by Brazilians legiti- 
mately construed as nothing less than an advocacy of the theory 
that might makes right, I believe that it would have been much 
better for our country and for Brazil. Since that time it has been 
impossible to negotiate a treaty with Brazil, — a Government with 
which we ought to be closely linked. There is no reciprocity 
between us.* While we receive her great staples free of duty, all 



* New Brazilian Tariff. — Robert G. Scott, Jr., Esq., Consul of the United 
States at Rio de Janeiro, writes to the State Department under date of 29th 
April last, giving the substance of the changes in the rates of duties made by 
the new tariff of Brazil. He says : — 

"By the old tariff, flour, the chief export from the United States to Brazil, paid 
three milreis per barrel import-duty. Under the tariff that I send you, the duty 
will be two milreis and four hundred reis, — a decrease of six hundred reis per 
barrel, or about thirty-four cents. Salted meat, that paid seven hundred and fifty 
reis per arroba of thirty-two pounds Portuguese weight under the old tariff, will pay 
five hundred and forty under the tariff that goes into force the 1st day of July next. 
Pine-wood, that now pays six reis per square palmo, (eight inches,) will pay, after 
the 1st of July, five reis. Leaf-tobacco, that pays under the present tariff six milreis 
per arroba, will pay under the new tariff three milreis and six hundred reis. Duties 
on tar, pitch, turpentine, and rosin, have been reduced; and so upon nearly all 
articles imported into this country from the United States. There is a reduction 
of one hundred and ten reis per alquiere or bushel of salt in the new tariff ; and, 
although no salt is imported from the United States to Brazil, still, this reduction is 
of benefit to our navigation. Duties on coarse cotton's have been slightly increased ; 
also on candles. 

"The duties, as a general thing, have been increased on manufactured goods, and 
the exceptions are among those of the best quality, chiefly imported to this Empire 
from France." 

In the new Cabinet formed by the Emperor in May, (1857,) Senhor Souza Franco — 
one of the most distinguished of Brazilian statesmen — holds the portfolio of finance ; 
and, as he is a gentleman of enlarged views, it is to be hoped that some satisfactory 
commercial treaty will be arranged between the United States and Brazil. 



580 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



that is exported by us to Brazil is heavily taxed. The property 
of our citizens dying intestate is administered by the Brazilian 
Government in a manner that never gives satisfaction. Outrages 
committed upon citizens of the United States in distant portions 
of the Empire very tardily, or never, meet with redress from the 
interior magistrates, whose feelings toward Norte Americanos have 
been embittered by the conclusions arrived at after reading the 
letters of Tenente Maury. It will be long ere we regain the sym- 
pathies which we had in 1850, when it was proposed, in case of 
war with England, that the whole Brazilian coast-trade should be 
put under the flag of the United States. 

At Bio," Senhor de Angelis replied to Lieutenant Maury's 
"Amazon and the Atlantic Coasts of South America/' (Port, 
trans.,) and his arguments, supported by Vattel and other writers 
on international law, are very ably stated. His volume, how- 
ever, contains at its close some very pointed and plain language 
in regard to Texas and Greytown, which adds nothing to his 
argument. 

We hope, however, that the judicious policy of the Union will 
regain the footing and influence which should be that of a country 
professing the principles of justice and liberality. 

Whether the Amazon region, at least in the vicinity of the great 
river, can ever be thickly peopled by a more Northern race, re- 
mains to be seen. It is in one range of temperature, (not like the 
Mississippi, which enjoys every variety of climate,) and is as yet 
an almost unbroken wilderness. Br. Thomas Bainey, who has 
given much attention to this subject, argues from the nature of the 
case that the provinces of Para and Amazonas can never become 
flourishing rendezvous for Northerners. But, as Brazil differs 
from all other tropical countries, it may be that the " howling 
wilderness" of the Amazon will yet smile with industry and 
civilization. 

As the case stands, Brazil certainly has the right, and the sole 
right, to control the rivers within her own borders, no matter if 
they do rise in other states ; and, as previous to the treaty which 
gave the United States the right of descending the St. Lawrence 
no other country would have had the right to force England to 
open to the United States that river because many of her tri- 



Benefit to ue Derived feom Opening the Amazon. 581 



butaries have their rise in the territory of tho Union, so there is 
no justice in any proposition to force Brazil to concede the free 
navigation of the Amazon. Still, although we rejoice to see Brazil 
developing her own resources, it would be of incalculable benefit 
to herself as well as to the neighboring states if she would apply 
to the Amazon question the principles for which she contended on 
the La Plata, and throw the mighty river open to the commerce 
of the world. 

About one-half of Bolivia, two-thirds of Peru, three-fourths of 
Equador, and one-half of New Grenada, are drained by the Amazon 
and its tributaries. For the want of steam-communication the 
trade of all these parts of those countries goes west over the 
Andes to Callao. There it is shipped, and, after doubling Cape 
Horn and sailing eight or ten thousand miles, it is then only off 
the mouth of the Amazon, on its way to Europe or the United 
States; whereas, if the navigation of the Amazon were free, the 
produce of the interior could be landed at Para for what it costs 
to convey it across the Andes to the ports of the Pacific. 



CONCLUSION. 



The authors, in reviewing the ground which they have gone 
over in this volume, only feel the imperfection of their labors and 
how difficult has been the task to give in so small space a just and 
general view of Brazil. They have compared the Empire not with 
England and the United States, but with other countries of the 
New World which have been peopled by descendants of the Latin 
race. This they believe to be the true mode of comparison. Many 
errors may thus be avoided. Their attention has recently been 
called to an editorial in one of the most widely-circulated and 
influential papers of our country, in which occurs the following 
sentence :— 

" To those who wish to know how deep human nature can sink in moral degrada- 
tion and the extreme limit of monarchical imbecility, we recommend a reading of 
Ewbank's 'Brazil,' whose details of hopeless superstition, general ignorance, and 
political demoralization have no parallel." 

We have already shown our appreciation of the author referred 
to by direct quotations from his work; and had he who penned 
this editorial remembered that Mr. Ewbank (more than ten years 
ago) was a stranger abiding for a few months in a new and curious 
country, and published a journal of observations and events which 
he jotted down from the impressions of the moment, and makes 
but few generalizations, he (the editor) would not have been so 
sweeping in his condemnation of Brazil. He seems, however, to 
have entirely overlooked one of Mr. Ewbank's few general con- 
clusions. Had he read it he would doubtless have been convinced 
that there was something hopeful in Brazil. As the opinions of 
the author in question have been often quoted to us as entirely 
at variance with any encouragement in regard to the Empire 
ruled by Dom Pedro II., we cite from his last chapter the follow- 
ing, which is to the point : — 

" The character of the Brazilians, I should say, is that of an hospitable, affec- 
tionate, intelligent, and aspiring people. They are in advance of their Portuguese 
582 



Conclusion. 



583 



progenitors in liberality of sentiment and in enterprise. Many of their young men 
visit Europe, others are educated in the United States : add to this an increasing 
intercourse with foreigners, — the means ordained by Divine Providence for human 
improvement, — and who does not rejoice in their honorable ambition and in the 
career opened before them ? It must be remembered, however, that no one people 
can be a standard for any other, for no two are in the same circumstances and con- 
ditions. The influence of climate, we know, is omnipotent; and, from their occupy- 
ing one of the largest and finest portions of the equatorial regions, it is for them to 
determine how far science and the arts within the tropics can compete with their 
progress in the temperate zones. As respects progress, they are, of Latin nations, 
next to the French. In the Chambers are able and enlightened statesmen ; and the 
representatives of the Empire abroad are conceded to rank in talent with the ambas- 
sadors of any other country. As for material elements of greatness, no people under 
the sun are more highly favored, and none have a higher destiny opened before them. 
May they have the wisdom to achieve it!" — Ewbank's Sketches of Life in Brazil. 

It is impossible to appreciate the present condition of Brazil 
without taking into view the influences of the mother-country. 
Notwithstanding the wealth and glory of Portugal during the 
short period of her maritime supremacy, there are few countries 
in Europe less fitted to become the model of a prosperous state in 
modern times. In whatever light we consider Portugal or her in- 
stitutions, we find them altogether behind the spirit of the age. 
Yet that country, as insignificent in size as it is indifferent in con- 
dition, held nearly half of South America under the iron sway of 
colonial bondage from the period of its discovery until 1808, — we 
might almost say 1822. 

The short space of thirty-five years is all that Brazil has yet 
enjoyed for the great object of establishing her character as an 
independent nation. During that period she has had to contend 
with great and almost numberless difficulties. A large proportion 
of the inhabitants were persons born or educated in Portugal, and 
consequently imbued with the narrow views and the illiberal feel- 
ings so common to the Portuguese. The laws, the modes of doing 
business as well as of thinking and of acting, that universally pre- 
vailed, were Portuguese. All these required decided renovation in 
order to suit the circumstances of a new empire rising into being 
during the progress of the nineteenth century. 

Such a renovation is not the work of a day; and if it should 
appear that as yet it has only properly commenced, still, the Bra- 
zilian nation will stand before the world as deserving the hio-hest 
credit. She has broken off bonds that had remained riveted upon 



584 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



her for ages. She has advanced from a degrading colonial servi- 
tude to a high and honorable position among the nations of the 
earth. What is perhaps still better, she cherishes a desire for 
improvement. She directs a vigilant eye toward other nations; 
she observes the working of their different institutions, and mani- 
fests a disposition to adopt those which are truly excellent, as far 
and as fast as they can be adapted to her circumstances. 

Her finances are in a most flourishing condition. But she should 
be ready to accept and to court a greater reciprocity among the 
nations of the earth, and should abandon all narrow policy. 

The revenues of the Empire are almost entirely the product of 
heavy duties upon commerce. Unfortunately, the nation has but 
few manufactures to call for her high tariff as a means of protec- 
tion. Her duties upon imports constitute a direct tax upon inter- 
nal consumption; while the duties upon exports embarrass her 
trade abroad. Thus, agriculture is doubly oppressed, and it is 
under the burden of great difficulties that the immense resources 
of the country are to a comparatively small degree developed. 

"Were there no other means of providing for the expenses of 
government, it would, perhaps, be idle to dwell upon this ruinous 
process, unless it were to comment upon it as a necessary evil. 
But is there no possibility of raising a revenue for Brazil from the 
sale of public lands? Millions upon millions of acres remain as 
yet unappropriated, notwithstanding the utter carelessness with 
which the richest and most valuable portions of the public domain 
have hitherto been yielded to the ownership of whomsoever might 
incline to take possession of it. Might not Government surveys be 
instituted, and the whole country brought under legal demarca- 
tion? Hitherto, not one-fiftieth part of it was ever surveyed; 
and even in some populous districts great uncertainty respecting 
boundaries still exists. It is understood that a reform in this 
direction has been begun. But what advantages could result 
from these surveys, unless spontaneous foreign immigration were 
encouraged ? 

Great things have been done in this respect, but more still re- 
mains to be accomplished. The system of Senator Vergueiro, we 
see by late advices, is to be carried out on a grand scale : no less 
than fifty thousand emigrants are tbus to be brought to Brazil. 



Conclusion. 



585 



But let the Government throw off all restriction of passports and 
every tax upon the emigrant, and the great and small proprietors 
will not have to resort to expensive means to induce immigration : 
it will flow of itself*. 

Education is daily exciting increased attention. In the new 
system of school-instruction, the French model has been generally 
followed. Having already described institutions of the various 
grades, — from the primary school to the law-university, — it will 
now be sufficient to remark that a great degree of improvement 
upon the former state of things is already manifest ; but at the 
same time the work of educational reform has only commenced. 
The teachers' salaries are too low; the interest among the com- 
mon people requires to be more fully excited ; and a very serious 
obstacle is to be overcome in the want of suitable school-books. 

It is sad to often find hinderances to the cause of education in 
the very men who ought to be leaders in the movement for the 
intellectual as well as the moral training of the young. A single 
instance and a general remark will illustrate what we mean. 

A priest residing in one of the most prominent cities of the 

Empire, and, indeed, exercising his functions beneath the very 

shadow of one of the universities, was heard to say, u Ndo gosto de 

livros; gosto mais de jogar," (" I have no relish for books; I like 

gaming better.") In corroboration of these remarks is the lan- 

h guage of a distinguished Brazilian statesman, uttered before the 

Imperial Legislature :— 

"A narrow strip on the coast is all that enjoys the benefits of civilization; while, 
in the interior, our people are still, to a great degree, enveloped in barbarism." 
In immediate connection with this remark, the same gentleman added, "We have 
been unable to do any thing, and nothing can be accomplished without the aid of a 
moral and intelligent clergy." 

Notwithstanding the picture sketched in these brief but just 
intimations, there is much room to hope for Brazil on the score 
of education. The schoolmaster is abroad in the Empire; the 
press is at work; and thousands of the citizens — those who have 
been educated at home and abroad — are awake to the importance 
of both those means of public enlightenment. 

The history of Brazilian literature is brief; yet, under the cir- 
cumstances in which it has sprung up, that literature must be 
considered creditable. Of all that has been written in the Portu- 



586 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



guese language within the last hundred years, Brazil has produced 
her full proportion of what is meritorious. Without entering into 
details upon this point, it is sufficient to mention the names of 
Caldas and Magalhaens in the department of poetry; Moraes in 
philology ; and the Andradas in science and philosophy. Within 
the last few years there has been a decided and promising move- 
ment at the capital in behalf of literature and the diffusion of 
useful knowledge. 

It may perhaps be considered by some as a misfortune, in a lite- 
rary point of view, to Brazil, that her language is the Portuguese. 
A prejudice against that language prevails extensively among 
foreign nations; and, although that prejudice is in a great degree 
unjust, it will not soon be overcome. The learned have seldom 
been induced to acquire that knowledge of the language which is 
essential to an appreciation of its real merits. Those who have 
formed its acquaintance accord to it high praises. Mr. Southey, 
for example, has declared it to be " inferior to no modern speech," 
and to contain "some of the most original and admirable works 
that he had ever perused." Schlegel, in his " History of Litera- 
ture," bears the very highest testimony to the beauty and copious- 
ness of the Portuguese language, and cannot restrain his admira- 
tion for Be Camoes. Of the Lusiad a distinguished French writer 
has said, "It is the first epic of modern times." (It must be remem- 
bered that the Latin nations have never been able to comprehend 
Milton.) M. de Sismondi says, "The distinguished men whom 
Portugal has produced have given to their country every branch 
of literature." And again: — "Portuguese literature is complete : 
we find in it every department of letters." (De la Litter ature du 
Midi de V Europe, t. iv. p. 262.) "The Portuguese language," 
says M. Sane, "is beautiful, sonorous, and copious: it is free 
from that gutturalness with which we reproach the Spanish : it 
has the sweetness and flexibility of the Italian and the gravity 
and descriptiveness of the Latin." (Poesie Lyrique Portuguaise, 
p. xc. Paris, 1808.) In fine, it may be remarked that no living 
language — not excepting the Spanish and Italian — is so near in 
every respect the tongue of old Imperial Borne as that of Lusi- 
tania. If the Brazilians, possessing such a language, shall develop 
the genius and the application necessary to such a result, they 



Conclusion. 



587 



may yet, by creating a literature worthy of themselves, secure 
the respect arid admiration of the world. 

Notwithstanding so little is known of the Portuguese language 
to certain classes of the literati, it prevails wherever there are or 
have been settlements of that nation, — not only in Brazil and the 
Portuguese Islands, but along the coasts of Africa and India, from 
Guinea to the Cape of Good Hope and from the Cape of Good 
Hope to the Sea of China, — extending over almost all the islands 
of the Malayan Archipelago. 

How interesting it would be to witness light and truth radiating 
from Brazil and spreading their influences to each of those distant 
climes ! Before such an event can be reasonably anticipated, how 
great must be the changes in the moral and religious condition 
of the Empire ! 

The ecclesiastics are notoriously corrupt, The report of a late 
Minister of Justice contains the following language : — 

"The state of retrogression into which our clergy are falling is notorious. The 
necessity of adopting measures to remedy such an evil is also evident. . . . The 
lack of priests who will dedicate themselves to the cure of souls, or who will even 
offer themselves as candidates, is surprising. ... It may be observed that the 
numerical ratio of those priests who die or become incompetent through age and 
infirmity is two to one of those who receive ordination. Even among those who 
are ordained, few devote themselves to the pastoral work. They either turn their 
attention to secular pursuits, as a means of securing greater conveniences, emolu- 
ments, and respect, or they look out for chaplaincies and other situations, which 
offer equal or superior inducements, without subjecting them to the literary tests, 
the trouble and the expense, necessary to secure an ecclesiastical benefice. 

"This is not the place to investigate the causes of such a state of things; but 
certain it is that no persons of standing devote their sons to the priesthood. Most 
of those who seek the sacred office are indigent persons, who, by their poverty, are 
often prevented from pursuing the requisite studies. Without doubt, a principal 
reason why so few devote themselves to ecclesiastical pursuits is to be found in the 
small income allowed them. Moreover, the perquisites established as the remunera- 
tion of certain clerical services have resumed the voluntary character which they 
had in primitive times, and the priest who attempts to coerce his parishioners into 
the payment of them almost always renders himself odious, and gets little or 
nothing for his trouble." 

At the present time Brazil is in want of nothing so much as 
pious, self-denying ministers of the gospel, — men who, like the 
Apostle to the Gentiles, will not count their lives dear unto them- 
selves that they may win souls to Christ. And is it too much to 
hope that God in His providence will raise up such men in His own 
way, especially when we reflect that His own "Word shall not 



588 



Brazil and the Brazilians. 



return unto Him void, and that faithful prayer shall never be for- 
gotten before the throne of the Most High. 

We might have unfolded before the reader many more incidents 
of labor in our Master's cause in Brazil, but have, from proper 
motives, withheld details : we believe that we have every encou- 
ragement to hope for Brazil in a religious as well as a political 
point of view. 

Just as w T e were finishing this volume we received Brazilian 
journals containing the message delivered by the Emperor at the 
opening of the Assembled Geral — the Imperial Parliament — on the 
3d of May, 1857; and we know of no fitter conclusion to our work 
than the quotation of that document, which is characteristic of 
Dom Pedro II. 

Propositions to enlarge commercial intercourse and to remove a 
narrow and restrictive- policy; rejoicings over the suppression of 
human piracy ; and proposals to extend civil and religious liberty, 
do not generally emanate from monarchs of Latin descent. This 
message, unimportant as it may be in the eyes of some, augurs 
well for the future of this Empire; and our wishes and prayers are 
that Brazil may fulfil the high destiny which Providence seems to 
place before her. 

The Brazilian Legislature opened its session the 3d of May, when 
the Emperor delivered the following speech from the throne : — 

"I am highly gratified in opening the first sitting of the present Legislature. 
Your reunion, always full of hope, is still more promising in view of the genex-al 
tendency of the public mind toward concord and moderation, which will receive a 
new impulse from your desire to promote the happiness of the country. 

"The tranquillity reigning throughout the Empire is one of the results of the 
policy which filled the hearts of the Brazilians with the conviction that, under the 
shelter of our institutions, faithfully maintained, we may with security and glory 
advance in the career of progress and civilization. 

" The relations of the Empire with other nations continue in a peaceful and 
friendly state, and it is my constant endeavor to cultivate them in the sense of the 
most perfect cordiality, basing them always on the solid grounds of justice and 
mutual interest. 

" My Government employed the means voted in the last Legislative session for the 
development of the immigration of useful and honest working-people, and it is one of 
its constant efforts to watch over this vital element of our national industry. With 
the resources at the disposal of my Government, and certain measures which in time 
will be solicited from your patriotism, calculated to secure the civil rights of indi- 
viduals who profess different religions, I hope we shall arrive at that important end, 
obtaining at the same time the increase of our industrial population. 



Conclusion. 



589 



"The extraordinary price of all kinds of provisions is causing great suffering 
among the less wealthy classes of society, and demands of your enlightened zeal 
some adequate legislation. The reduction in the new customs-tariff is not sufficient 
to obtain this result. 

"The vigor with which the two last attempts to introduce African slaves at 
Serinhaem and St. Matthews were suppressed must have discouraged the adventurers 
who deemed it a proper occasion to carry out their criminal enterprises. 

"I again recommend to you the reform of the mortgage-law, which, by facilitating 
the system of advances on landed security, will have a decisive and immediate in- 
fluence on the future of our agriculture. 

"The army and navy require measures which may improve their discipline, and 
a criminal code of procedure which shall secure prompt punishment and the execu- 
tion of judgments. 

"I also call your special attention to the project of law concerning the promotion 
of marine officers, which is depending on your approbation, as well as to the neces- 
sity of modifying in the most convenient way the rules regulating the system of 
recruiting. 

" The reforms carried out in the different branches of instruction are producing 
the wished-for results. 

" The satisfactory state of public revenues permits us to indulge in the hope that 
the anticipated deficit, in view of which the increase of two per cent, in the export- 
duties was decreed, will not occur, and we may therefore either look for their 
abolition at an early date, or devote them to such purposes as are particularly in- 
teresting to our agriculture. 

"August and most worthy representatives of the country, your task is a difficult 
one; but the certainty of the reward to which you nobly aspire — of seeing our 
country in a prosperous state — encourages you constantly; and my Government will 
prove worthy of your support by the discretion with which it will employ the 
means granted to it to aid you in the glorious achievement of so sacred a duty." 



NOTES. 



No. i. 

Americus Vespucius fares worse at the hands of some Portuguese authors than Pinzon. The 
Padre Ayres de Casal, in his Corographia Brasilica, urges that the Florentine " never accompanied 
Goncalho Coelho or Christopher Jaques in their explorations of the coast of Brazil." Gen. J. I. d'Abreu 
Lima, in a note (page 8) to his Historia do Brazil, roundly asserts that Americus Yespucius did 
not accompany the two navigators mentioned above, (todavia o que sepode negar com boas authoridades 
■ e que elk accompanhasse aos dois primeiros exploradores Portuguezes acima mentionados.) It is true, 
also, that Kobertson throws doubt upon some of the dates of Americus Yespucius, but more recent 
writers, of eq\ml authority, give the account as stated in the text. This hesitation on the part of some 
Portuguese and Spanish historians, in regard to Americus, is doubtless influenced by the sentiment, on 
one side, that the employment of the Florentine by the King D. Manoel necessarily supposes an under- 
rating of the Lusitanian navigators, — which does not follow, because the latter, in the expeditions 
referred to, appear to have had the supreme command : on the side of the Spaniards, they never 
could forgive Americus for having supplanted, in the New World, the name of Columbus, of whom they 
are as proud as if he were a Castilian. 

No. 2. 

It is commonly supposed that the wood yielding the red dye, Csesalpinia BrazUletto, derived its 
common name, Brazil-wood, from its being principally imported from, and produced in, Brazil. This, 
however, is not the fact. It has been shown that woods yielding a red dye were called Brazil-woods 
long previously to the discovery of America, and that the early voyagers gave the name Brazil to that 
part of the continent, to which it is still applied, from their having ascertained that it abounded in 
such woods. — Bancroft's Philosophy .of Colors, ii. 316-321. 

No. 3. 

The Padre Ayres Casal, in his Corographia Brasilica, says that the squadron "entered the Bay of 
Santa Luzia, which name was changed to that of Rio de Janeiro, because it was entered on the first 
day of the year, 1532." Any examination of the facts of the case as detailed by almost every other 
chronicler will not bear out the statements of Padre Ayres Casal. 

No. 4. 

Diario de Pedro Lopez de Souza, page 14, in which he explicitly says, " Sabbado 30 de Abril, no quarto 
d'alva, eramos com a bocca do Rio de Janeiro." 

No. 5. 

The Madeira Christians were compelled to flee for refuge to the United States, in 1850 ; and in 1852 
most intolerant acts were sanctioned by the Portuguese Government, in order to put an end to the 
so-called Protestant heresy in that island. 



590 



Appendix A. 



CHRONOLOGICAL SUMMARY OF THE PRINCIPAL EVENTS THAT HAVE 
TRANSPIRED IN THE HISTORY" OF BRAZIL. 



A.D. 1500. The continent of South America clis- | 1593. 
covered on the 26th of January, by Yincent 
Yanez Pinzon, a companion of Columbus, 
and the first Spaniard who crossed the 1594. 
equator. 

" April 21, Pedro Alvarez Cabral, commander 1615. 
of the second Portuguese fleet that doubled 
the Cape of Good Hope, discovered that 
portion of the Brazilian coast now called 1624. 
Espirito Santo. 1630. 

" On May 3, he landed at Porto Seguro. 
1503. The Bay of All Saints discovered by Americus 
Yespucius. 

1510. Diogo Alvarez Correa (Caramuru) ship- 
wrecked at Bahia, (Bay of All Saints.) 

1530. The unexplored territory of Brazil divided 

into captaincies by the King of Portugal. 1640. 

1531. Martin Affonso de Souza entered the Bay of 

Nitherohy, {Rio de Janeiro,) previously 1646. 
visited by De Sobs and Majellan. On the 
22d of January he discovered the harbor 1654. 
of San Yincente, and there founded the 1661. 
first European colony. 

1548. Numbers of Jews, having been stripped by 1675. 

the Inquisition of Portugal, were banished 
to Brazil. 

1549. Thome de Souza, the first governor-general, 

founded the city of San Salvador, (Bahia.) 
1552. The first bishop appointed, to reside at Bahia 
1555. Yillegagnon occupied the Bay of Rio de Ja- 1710. 

neiro with a colony of French Protestants, 

and built the fort which still bears his 1711. 

name, upon a small island in the harbor. 
1567. The French expelled by the Portuguese and 1713. 

Indians. 

« The city of St. Sebastian founded. 1729. 

1572. The government of the colony of Brazil di- 175S- 
vided between two captains-general, resi- 
dent severally at S. Salvador and Rio de 1763. 
Janeiro. Hence the name Brazils. 1805. 

1576. The government again reduced to the juris- 
prudence of one captain-general, residing 
at Bahia. 

1580. Brazil, in connection with Portugal, brought 

under the dominion of Spain. 
1591. Thomas Cavendish, the English adventurer, 

6acked and burned S. Yincente. 



James Lancaster, commanding a marauding 
expedition, fitted out of London, captured 
and plundered Pernambuco. 

The French established a colony at Maran- 
ham. 

The French expelled from Maranham. 

The city of Belem (Para) founded by Fran- 
cisco Caldeira. 

The Dutch invaded Bahia. 

Second invasion of the Dutch, in which they 
took possession of the whole coast of Bra- 
zil, from the river of S. Francisco to Ma- 
ranham. Pernambuco was their seat of 
government. 

Expedition of Pedro Teixeira, from Para, to 
Quito, by way of the river Amazon. 

Portugal and her colonies freed from the 
Spanish yoke. 

The Dutch defeated in the battle of the Gua- 
rarapes, near Pernambuco ; and in 

Finally expelled from Pernambuco. 

Holland abandoned, by negotiation, all claim 
to Brazil. 

The diocese of Bahia constituted an arch- 
bishopric. 

Regular mining for gold commenced. 

Settlements made in Minas-Geraes. 

Destruction of the famous Republic of the 
Palmares. 

Assault of the French upon Rio de Janeiro 
under Du Clerc. 

Capture of that city by Du Guay Trouin, and 
ransom by its inhabitants. 

Northern limits of Brazil defined by the 
treaty of Utrecht. 

Discovery of the diamond-mines in Serro Frio. 

60. Forcible and complete expulsion of the 
Jesuits from Brazil. 

Transfer of the capital from Bahia to E.io. 

Rev. Henry Martyn visited Bahia. 

Arrival of the royal family of Portugal. 

Publication of the Carta Regia. 

Establishment at Rio of the first printing- 
press in Brazil. 

Second printing-press established at Bahia. 

Remark. — These two were the only presses 
in use up to 1821. 

591 



592 



Appendix A. 



1815. Brazil elevated to the rank of a Kingdom. 

1817. Revolt in Pernambuco. 

1818. Acclamation and Coronation of D. John VI. 

1821. The Constitution of the Cortes of Portugal 

proclaimed and adopted at Kio. 
" 24th April, D. John VI. returned to Portugal, 
leaving his son, Dom Pedro, Regent of 
Brazil. 

1822. 7th September, Declaration of Independence. 
" 12th October, Acclamation of D. Pedro as 

Emperor. 

" 1st December, Coronation of D. Pedro I. 
K " " Session of the Assembly con- 
voked to draft a Constitution. 

1823. Montevideo united to Brazil, under the title 

of the Cisplatine Province. 
" The new Constitution offered to the Brazilians 
by the Emperor. 

1824. March 25. — Sworn to, throughout the Em- 

pire. 

" Revolt in Pernambuco. Confederation of the 
Equator proclaimed and suppressed. 

1825. Independence of Brazil recognised by Por- 

tugal, August 29. 
" Birth of the Imperial Prince D. Pedro II., 
December 2. 

1826. On the death of King Dom John YI., the Em- 

peror of Brazil, heir-presumptive to the 
Crown of Portugal, abdicated that crown 
to his eldest daughter, D. Maria II. 
" Final separation of Montevideo from Brazil, 
that province becoming the Cisplatine Re- 
public. 

1831. Abdication of D. Pedro I., and Acclamation 

of D. Pedro II. 

1832. War of the Panellas for the Restoration of 

the first Emperor. 
1834. Reform of the Constitution, creating Provin- 
cial Assemblies. 



1835. Revolution broke out in Para, January 7. 
" " " " Rio Grande do Sul, 

September 20. 
" Diogo Antonio Feijo elected Regent. 
1S36. Donna Januaria recognised as Imperial Prin- 
cess, and heiress to the throne. 

1837. Eeijo renounced the Regency, September 19. 
* Pedro Araujo Lima appointed Regent pro 

tempore. 

" Revolt in the city of Bahia, November 7. 

1838. Restoration of Bahia, March 15. 

" Death of Jose Bonifacio de Andrada. 
K Lima elected to the Regency. 
1S39. First steam-voyage along the northern coast. 

1840. Abolition of the Regency and Accession of 

Dom Pedro LI. to the full exercise of his 
prerogative as Emperor. 

1841. The Emperor's Coronation, July 18. 
| 1843. Imperial marriages. 

1S44. The treaty between Brazil and England, 
signed in 1827, expired by limitation, No- 
vember 11. 

1845. Birth of the Imperial Prince D. Affonso. 

1846. Birth of Donna Isabella, (heiress- apparent.) 

1847. June 11, death of D. Affonso. 

" July 13, Birth of Donna Leopoldina. 

1849. December, First appearance of yellow fever. 

1850. Suppression of the slave-trade. First steam- 

ship-line to Europe. 

1852. Overthrow of the Buenos Ayrean Dictator 

Rosas by the aid of the Brazilian arms. 
" Ground broken for the first railway. 

1853. The first locomotive on the Maua Railway, 

and a regular line of steamers on the 
Amazon. 

1854. Rio de Janeiro lit by gas. 

1855. Surveys of various railways. 

1857. The first section of the Pedro Segundo Rail- 
way finished. 



IMPERIAL FAMILY. 
The Crown of Brazil is hereditary in the line of direct succession. 
Emperor— Dom Pedro EE. d' Alcantara, born Dec. 2, 1S25. Salary, $440,000; and income from large 
estates. 

Empress — Donna Theresa Christina, sister to the King of the Two Sicilies. Salary $54,800 
Imperial Princesses — Donna Isabella, heiress-apparent, born in 1846; Donna Leopoldina, born in 
1847. 

Emperor's Sisters — Donna Janttaria, born 1822. Married to the Prince D. Luiz Conde dAquilla, 
1843. Donna Franctsca, born in 1824. Married to the Prince de Joinville, 1843. 

In Portugal. 

Ex-Empress of Brazil, the Duchess of Braganza, Donna Amelia Augusta, widow of Dom Pedro I. ; 
born in 1812. 

Note. — In case of the death of D. Pedro II. without issue, his sister Donna Januaria, who has three 
children, will succeed to the throne; and at her decease her eldest child will be the Monarch of Brazil. 



Appendix B. 



ABSTRACT OF THE BRAZILIAN CONSTITUTION, SWORN TO ON THE 
25TH OF MARCH, 1824, AND REVISED IN 1834. 

(1) Brazil is declared an Independent Empire, and its Government Monarchial, Constitutional, and 
Representative. (2) The Reigning Dynasty is to be Dom Pedro I. and his successors. (3) The Roman 
Catholic religion is constituted that of the State ; but the exercise of all others is permitted. (4) The 
unrestricted communication of thought, either by means of words, writings, or the agency of the 
press, exempt from censure, is guaranteed : with the condition that all who abuse this privilege shall 
become amenable to the law. (5) A guarantee founded on the principles of the English Habeas Corpus 
Act. (6) The privileges of citizenship are extended to all free natives of Brazil, to all Portuguese 
resident there from the time of the Independence, and to all naturalized strangers. (7) The law is 
declared equal to all ; all are liable to taxation in proportion to their possessions. (8) The highest offices 
of the State are all laid open to every citizen ; and all privileges, excepting those of office, abolished. 
(9) The political powers acknowledged by the Constitution are the Legislative, the Moderative, the 
Executive, and the Judicial ; all of which are acknowledged as delegations from the nation. (10) It is 
declared that the General Assembly shall consist of two chambers : the Chamber of Deputies are to hold 
their olfice for four years only; the Senators are appointed for life. (11) The especial attributes of the 
Assembly are to administer the oaths to the Emperor, the Imperial Prince, the Regent, or the Regency; 
to elect the Regent or Regency, and to fix the limits of his or their authority; to acknowledge the 
Imperial Prince as successor to the throne, on the first meeting after his birth; to nominate the 
guardian of the young Emperor in case such guardian has not been named in the parental testament ; 
to resolve all doubts relative to the succession on the death of the Emperor or vacancy of the throne ; 
to examine into the past administration, and to reform its abuses ; to elect a new dynasty in case of 
the extinction of the reigning family ; to pass laws, and also to interpret, suspend, and revoke them : 
to guard the Constitution, and to promote the welfare of the nation ; to fix the public expenditure and 
taxes ; to appoint the marine and land forces annually upon the report of the Government ; to concede, 
or refuse, the entry of foreign forces within the Empire; to authorize the Government to contract 
loans to establish means for the payment of the public debt; to regulate the administration of national 
property and decree its alienation ; to create or suppress public offices, and to fix the stipend to be 
allotted to them ; and, lastly, to determine the weight, value, inscription, type, and denomination of 
the coinage. 

(12) During the term of their office, the members of both Houses are alike exempted from arrest, 
unless by the authority of their respective Chambers, or when seized in the commission of a capital 
offence. For the opinions uttered during the exercise of their functions, they are inviolable. (13) All 
measures for the levying of imposts and military enrolment, the choice of a new dynasty in case of 
the extinction of the existing one, the examination of the acts of the past administration, and the 
accusation of Ministers, and of Councillors of State, are required to have their origin with the House 
of Deputies. Por the indemnification of its members, it is decided that a pecuniary remuneration shall 
be allotted to each during the period of the sessions. (14) The number of the Senators is fixed at one- 
half that of the Deputies, and the members are required to be upwards of forty years of age, and to 
be in actual possession of an income amounting to at least eight hundred inilreis per annum. (15) It 
is their exclusive attribute to take cognizance of the individual crimes committed by the members of 
the Imperial Family, Ministers, or Councillors of State, as well as of the crimes of Deputies during 
the period of the Legislature. Their annual stipend is fixed at fifty per cent, more than that of the 
Deputies. 

(16) The Members of both Chambers are to be chosen by Provincial Electors, who are themselves to 
be elected by universal suffrage, — in which only minors, monks, domestics, and individuals not in the 
receipt of one hundred milreis per annum, are excluded from voting. (IT) The Senators are nominated 
by the Provincial Electors in triple lists, from which three candidates the Emperor selects one. who holds 
office for life. (19) Each Chamber is qualified with powers for the proposition, opposition, and approval 
of projects of law. In case, however, the House of Deputies should disapprove of the amendments or 

38 593 



594 



Appendix B. 



additions of the Senate, or vice versd, the dissenting Chamber shall have the privilege of requiring a 
temporary union of the two Houses, in order that the matter in dispute may be decided in General 
Assembly. 

(20) A veto is conceded to the Emperor ; but it is only suspensory in its nature. In case three suc- 
cessive Parliaments should present the same project for the Imperial sanction, it is declared that on the 
third presentation it shall, under all and any circumstances, be considered that the sanction had been 
conceded. (21) The ordinary annual sessions of the two Houses of Legislature are limited to the period 
of four months. 

(22) To each province of the Empire there is a legislative Assembly, for the purpose of discussion on 
its particular interests, and the promotion of projects of law accommodated to its localities and 
urgencies ; but these Assemblies are not invested with any power excepting that of proposing laws of 
provincial interest. 

(23) The attributes of the moderative poicer (which is designated the key to the entire political organ- 
ization, and which is vested exclusively in the hands of the Emperor) are the nomination of Senators, 
according to the before-mentioned regulations; the convocation of the General Assembly whenever the 
good of the Empire shall require it; the sanction of the decrees or resolutions of the Assembly: the 
enforcement or suspension of the projects of the provincial Assemblies during the recess of the Cliam- 
bers; the dissolution of the House of Deputies; the nomination of Ministers of State; the suspension 
of magistrates; the diminution of the penalties imposed on criminals; and the concession of amnesties. 

(24) The titles acknowledged in the Constitution as appertaining to His Majesty are '"Constitutional 
Emperor and Perpetual Defender of Brazil." His person is declared inviolable and sacred, and he 
himself exempt from all responsibility. He is, moreover, designated as the chief of the executive 
power, which power is to be exercised through the medium of his Ministers. Its principal functions 
are the convocation of a new General Assembly in the third year of each legislature, the nomination 
of bishops, magistrates, military and naval commanders, ambassadors, and diplomatic and commercial 
agents : the formation of all treaties of alliance, subsidy, and commerce ; the declaration of war and 
peace; the granting of patents of naturalization, and the exclusive power of conferring titles, military 
orders, and other honorary distinctions. All acts emanating from the executive power are to be signed 
by the Ministers of State, before being carried into execution ; and those Ministers are to be held 
responsible for all abuses of power, as well as for treason, falsehood, peculation, or attempts against 
the liberty of the subjects. (25) In addition to the Ministry, a Council of State is also appointed, the 
members of which are to hold offices for life. They are to be heard concerning all matters of serious 
import, and principally on all subjects relating to war and peace, negotiations with foreign States, and 
the exercise of the moderative power. For all counsels wilfully tending to the prejudice of the State, 
they are to be held responsible. 

(26) The judicial power is declared independent, and is to consist of judges and juries for the adjudi- 
cation of both civil and criminal cases, according to the disposition of future codes for this effect. The 
juries are to decide upon the fact, and the judges to apply the law. For all abuses of power the 
judges, as well as the other officers of justice, are to be held responsible. It is within the attributes 
of the Emperor to suspend the judges in the exercise of their functions; but they are to be dismissed 
from office only by a sentence of the supreme courts of appeal instituted in all the provinces. 

(28) The presidents of the provinces are to be nominated by the Emperor; but their privileges, qualifi- 
cations, and authority are to be regulated by the Assembly. 

(29) If, after the expiration of four years, it should be found that any articles of the Constitution 
required reform, it was decreed that the proposed amendment should originate with the House of Depu- 
ties ; and if, after discussion, the necessity of the reform was conceded, an act was to be passed and 
sanctioned by the Emperor in the usual manner, requiring the electors of the Deputies for the next 
Parliament to confer on their representatives especial powers regarding the proposed alteration or 
reform. On the assembling of the next House of Deputies, the matter in question was to be proposed 
and discussed, and, if passed, to be appended to the Constitution and solemnly promulgated. (The 
reforms were few, — the two principal being the regulation of succession in case of the death of D. 
Pedro II. without issue, his sister Donna Januaria, or her children, becoming heirs ; and changing the 
provincial councils to provincial Assemblies.) 

(30) Finally, civil and criminal codes are organized; the use of torture is abolished; the con- 
fiscation of property is prohibited ; the custom of declaring the children and relatives of criminals 
infamous is abrogated, and the rights of property and the public debt are guaranteed. 



Appendix C. 



The following lines were composed by D. Pedro II., and written by him in the album of one of the 
Maids of Honor. They were doubtless never intended for the public eye, but were obtained through a 
member of the diplomatic corps at Rio Janeiro. Their didactive character and great compactness in 
the Portuguese make a poetic translation exceedingly difficult; but they have been kindly and very 
faithfully rendered into English verse for this volume by Mr. D. Bates, of Philadelphia, whose 
" Speak Gently" has become a household word. 



Se fui clemente, justiceiro, e pio, 
Obrei o que devia. mui pesada 
A sujeigao do sceptro ; e quern domina 
Nao tern ao seu arbitrio as leis sagradas; 
Fiel executor deve cumpri-las 
Mas nao pode altera-las. & o throno 
Cadeira da Justiga ; quern se assenta 
Em tao alto lugar, fica sujeito 
A. mais severa lei; perde a vontade! 
Qualquer descuido chega a ser enorme, 
Detestavel, sacrilego delicto! 
Quando no horizonte o sol espalha 
Sobre a face da terra a luz do dia, 
Ninguem o admira, todos o conhecem; 
Mas se eclipsado acaso se perturba, 
Nesse instante infeliz todos se assustao, 
Todos o observao, todos o receiao: 
Logo se premiei sempre a virtude, 
Se os vicicios castiguei, nada merecei. 

p.n. 

Dec. 1852. 



If I am pious, clement, just, 

I'm only what I ought to be : 
The sceptre is a weighty trust, 

A great responsibility; 
And he who rules with faithful hand, 

With depth of thought and breadth of range, 
The sacred laws should understand, 

But must not, at his pleasure, change. 

The chair of justice is the throne : 

Who takes it bows to higher laws ; 
The public good, and not his own, 

Demands his care in every cause. 
Neglect of duty, — always wrong, — 

Detestable in young or old, — 
By him whose place is high and strong, 

Is magnified a thousandfold. 

When in the east the glorious sun 

Spreads o'er the earth the light of day, 
All know the course that he will run, 

Nor wonder at his light or way: 
But if, perchance, the light that blazed 

Is dimm'd by shadows lying near, 
The startled world looks on amazed, 

And each one watches it with fear. 

I likewise, if I always give 

To vice and virtue their rewards, 
But do my duty thus to live ; 

No one his thanks to me accords. 
But should I fail to act my part, 

Or wrongly do, or leave undone, 
Surprised, the people then would start 

With fear, as at the shadow'd sun. 



595 



Appendix D. 



SLAVERY AND THE SLAVE-TRADE IN BRAZIL— ENGLAND AND 

BRAZIL. 

[Translated from the Jornal do Commercio of Rio de Janeiro of May 26, 1S56.] 
It is impossible to undertake, with greater energy and with more honesty than our Government did, 
the difficult task of suppressing the slave-trade. This is a truth which cannot be contested, it being a 
self-evident fact. 

Notwithstanding the old usages of our agricultural and manufacturing industry, which were actu- 
ally based upon the slave-trade, and which must have suffered from its suppression, prejudices did not 
even spring out of these circumstances. Injured interests, habits broken up, did not even raise a cry : 
reason prevailed, and the prospect of future national welfare was acknowledged, and the whole nation 
and its Government did not hesitate to accept all the sacrifices of the present, in order to leave to future 
generations the country freed from this centennial crime, however painful may be its just expulsion. 

In consequence of this change of opinion in Europe, and especially in England, toward Brazil, we 
should have thought that the relations between the Governments of Brazil and Great Britain bad 
attained such a degree of brotherly esteem that it might be wished to exist between the official repre- 
sentatives of both nations joined by so many ties of mutual interest. We were convinced that, seeing 
the efforts made by the Brazilian Government properly supported by the general opinions of the people, 
the English Cabinet would certainly give it credit and the homage of its sympathies. But the notes 
addressed by the British legation to the Imperial Cabinet, when an attempt was made to land slaves 
near Pernambuco, and especially the last of their notes, have completely destroyed our illusions on this 
subject. 

After having subdued the indignation caused by reading that note, considering its full extent, we 
said to ourselves, " What can the British Government mean when, in our present circumstances, it 
assails us with such a threat?" Is it the suppression of the slave-trade? Certainly not^" If proper 
reflection could not suggest to that Government that by carrying the threatened measure into execu- 
tion they would only promote and encourage that very trade which we are anxious to suppress, we 
would recommend to them the lessons given by the years 1S30 to 1850 inclusive! 

Public opinion in support of our Government has strongly sustained, and maintained with all pos- 
sible watchfulness, with all the power of reason, the conviction that the suppression of the slave-trade 
is a true national interest: this conviction gave to our Government an incalculable strength, by which 
it was able to obtain the entire and immediate extinction of that trade, so that whole years have 
passed without any attempt being made to violate this law. 

And when an attempt of this kind is occasionally made, it is always done through merchants of 
Lisbon and in Africa connected with North American adventurers, and carried on in vessels from the 
United States : and even the Brazilian Government succeeds in discovering the agents of this crime, 
and manages to watch and accompany them and to arrest them at the very moment when they are 
going to perpetrate it. 

And in view of these facts the British Government, instead of congratulating our functionaries and 
applauding their efforts, sends us insults and threats. 

In the two attempts made by Americans to establish the slave-trade, praise must be given to the 
Government of Brazil alone, which has so ably succeeded in defeating and repelling them. England 
must be conscious enough that with all her squadrons on the coast of Africa, and on the vast seas of 
tins Empire, committing even all the silly excesses of the Aberdeen bill, it would not have effected 
any thing against attempts of that kind; and when our Government, by its measures and vigilance, 
succeeds in obtaining this admirable result, we find it difficult to explain the object of the note alluded 
to. But why, on this occasion, did not the British Government act as it would do if it believed that 
insults and threats are the best means to suppress this trade? They ought to direct their threats and 
insults not against us, who are innocent in this case, but against the United States. 

The crime was wholly of foreign origin, and its authors were in New York and Boston. Brazil has not 
arms long enough to reach them ; but every thing that could be done was actually done, and, at the very 
moment that a North American crime was about to be perpetrated, a Brazilian authority stopped it. 
596 



Appendix E. 



597 



But Albion's arms are long, and. with its diplomacy and cruisers, why does not the Government of Great 
Britain turn all its means of action and all its arrogant demands toward the Cabinet at Washington? 
Why does she not compel it to prevent such criminal enterprises at the hands of its bold adventurers 
and filibusters ? 



Ther following is the contract between a number of Mina blacks (who freed themselves) and the 
captain and consignee of the British brig Robert, — in which vessel they sailed for their native land, 
and arrived safely : — 

"CHARTER PARTY. 

"Rio de Janeiro. 

"On the 27th of November, 1S51, it is agreed between George Duck, master of the British brig called 
the Robert, A 1, shall receive in this port sixty-three free African men (women and children included 
in this number) and their luggage, and shall proceed to Bahia, and remain there, if required, fourteen 
days, and then proceed to a safe port in the Bight of Benin, on the coast of Africa not south of Bada- 
gry, (the port of destination being decided in Bahia.) and deliver the same, on being paid freight here, 
in this port, the sum of £800, to be paid before the sailing of the next British packet. The master 
binds himself to provide for the said passengers sixty pounds of jerked beef, two and a half alquieres 
of farinha, and one-half an alquiere of black beans, daily ; a cooking-place and the necessary firewood 
to be furnished by the captain ; half a pipe — say sixty gallons — of water to be supplied daily. The 
master is allowed to take any cargo or passengers and luggage that may offer at Bahia for the benefit 
of the ship. 

"Passengers and luggage to be on board on or before the 15th of December, 1851, and disembark 
within forty-eight hours after the ship's arrival at the port of destination. 
" Penalty for non-performance of this agreement, five hundred pounds sterling. 

"GEORGE DUCK, 
"RAPHAEL JOSE 0L1TEIRA." 



Appendix E. 



Table exhibiting the legal gold and silver coins 
of Brazil, with their weights in dwts. and grains 
Troy, fineness, and comparative value in Federal 
money of the United States: — 

GOLD. 



TABLES OP BRAZILIAN COINS, WEIGHTS. AND MEASURES. 

The following statistics, from the consular bureau of the United States, were most carefully made 
out by J. S. Gillmer, Esq., American Consul at Bahia, and forwarded in his reports to the State Depart- 
ment at Washington. These are the most correct computations of Brazilian coins, weights, and mea- 
sures, ever presented to the English and American public. 

COPPER COIN" 
is composed as follows : — 

The real (pi. reis) imaginary. 
Five-reis piece, (imaginary.) 
Ten " " (out of use.) 
Twenty-reis do. one vintem. 
Forty " do. two vintems. 
The latter weighs IS dwts. 10 grains, of the no- 
minal value of 24 cents. Twenty-five of these pieces 
make a milreis, or 1000 reis, the real being merely 
used as a numeral. 

The above calculations are not given as abso- 
lutely correct, but, with the exception of very slight 
fractional differences, they are so. 

PAR OF EXCHANGE. 
The Brazilian "Soberano," or twenty-milreis 
piece of the recent coinage, being worth (according 
to its relative value compared with our gold coin) 
$10.24, it follows that the "par of exchange" 
between the two countries is 511 cents per mil- 
reis ; but, the currency of Brazil being more than 
one-half composed of Government paper money, 
this standard cannot be applied to commercial 



Denomination. 


Dwts. 


Grains. 


Comparative ' 
Value. 




9 
5 

11 

5 




$ S.20 
4.62 

10.24 
5.12 




(20 milreis.) 

Half do 


SILVER. 


Denomination. 


Dwts. 


Grains. 


Comparative 
Value. 




17 
5 
16 

S 
4 


7 


9^ 

fx 


$ 1.00 
30 
94 
47 


Two patacas 

Two-milreis piece, 

Five hundred reis 



598 



Appendix E. 



transactions as a guide, and in the absence of direct 
exchange transactions with the United States, we 
must be governed by the rate of exchange on 
London, which either rises or falls as influenced by 
the commercial or other vicissitudes of the day. 

The rate of exchange on London being twenty- 
eight pence per milreis, by taking the value of the 
pound sterling at $4.80 cents, the result is fifty- 
six cents as the value of the milreis in United 
States currency. 

WEIGHTS AND MEASURES. 
The " Marco" is divided into 

8 Ounces, 
64 Octaves, 
192 Scruples, 
4608 Grains, — which are equal to 3541% Troy 
grains, or 229.460 French grammes, — 83 lbs. Troy 
weight being equal to 135 " Marcos." 

COMMERCIAL WEIGHTS. 
The " Aratel," or Round, contains 
2 Marcos, 
4 Quartos, 
16 Ounces, 
128 Octaves, and 

9216 Grains, — which are equal to 7082 Troy 
grains, — 110.729 pounds being equal to 112 lbs. 
avoirdupois. 
32 pounds = 1 Arroba = 32% lbs. avoirdupois. 
4 Arrobas or 128 lbs. (Portug.) = 1 Quintal = 
129% lbs. avoirdupois. 
13% Quintals or 54 Arrobas = 1 ton = 1748%; lbs. 
avoirdupois. 

DRY MEASURES. 

The "Alqueire" of Bahia, in daily use for corn, 
mandioca, &c, contains 2475 cubic inches, equal to 
1.15 Winchester bushels, and is divided into halves 
and subdivided into quarters, eighths, &c. 

The " Moio" of Bahia contains 30 alqueires, or 
" Fangas," as they are called when used for mea- 
suring lime. The "Moio," therefore, is equal to 
34.6 Winchester bushels. 



The "Alqueire" of Rio de Janeiro contains 2322 
cubic inches, equal to 1.08 bushels. 

(The " Moio" of Lisbon is composed of 15 Fangas, 
and each Fanga of 4 Alqueires ; the Lisbon Alqueire 
contains 824.S32 cubic inches; the Lisbon "Moio," 
therefore, is equal to 23.02 bushels.) 

LIQUID MEASURE. 

Duties are exacted at the custom-houses of the 
Empire on liquids by the " Medida" of Rio de Ja- 
neiro, which contains 162.4 cubic inches, 142.241 
" Medidas," being equal to 100 gallons ; but in the 
different provinces they are sold by local measure. 

In the province of Bahia, oil, rum, &c. are sold 
by the Canada of Bahia, which contains 435 cubic 
inches, equal to 1.883 gallons, — one Canada, there- 
fore, being nearly equal to 1| gallons. 

The " Canada" is divided into halves and subdi- 
vided into quarters, called " Quartillos," eighths, <fcc. 

CLOTH MEASURE. 
The "Covado" and 
"Vara." 

The former is equal to 26.7 inches, and the latter 
equal to 43.3 inches : each is divided into halves, 
thirds, quarters, and eighths. 

LONG MEASURE. 
12 lines = 1 inch. 

8 inches = 1 Palmo. 
12 inches = 1 P6 or foot. 

5 Palmos = 1 Vara. 

2 Varas = 1 Braga, 
935.276 Bragas = 1 mile, (Port.) 

3 miles = 1 league. 

18 leagues = 1° of latitude. 

LAND MEASURE. 

Land in Brazil is bought and sold by the "Ta- 
refa" of 900 square Bragas, or 3600 square Varas, 
which are equivalent to 4330 (Eng.) square yards. 

The "Geira" of land in Portugal is considered 
equivalent to 4840 square Varas, equal to 5821 
square yards. 



Appendix F. 



POPULATION. 

Nothing is more diflSeult to ascertain with correctness than the population of Brazil. No census 
of the whole country has as yet been taken; and, when we see it stated from "official documents," it 
means nothing more than conjecture and approximation. 

I give the following table, made up from the estimates of Sr. Francisco Nunes de Souza, published 
in the Jgricultor Brazileiro ; also the percentages of slaves, &c, from the very careful computa- 
tions of Hon. J. U. Petit, formerly U. S. Consul at Maranhain. There will be found a considerable dis- 
crepancy between this estimate of the population and that in the notes of Thomas Rainey, M.D. I 
have preferred to follow the lowest. 



Amazonas 30.000 

Para 190,000 

Maranhao 280,000 

Piauhy 170,000 

Ceara 350,000 

Rio Grande do Norte 160.000 

Parahiba 230,000 

Pernambuco' 800,000 

Alagoas 210,000 

Sergipe 180,000 



Brought forward 2,600,000 

Bahia 880,000 

Espirito Santo 60,000 

Riode Janeiro , 1,400,000 

S. Paulo 680,000 

Parana 70,000 

Santa Catharina 90,000 

Rio Grande 240,000 

Minas-Geraes 800,000 

Goyaz 120,000 

Mato Grosso ~ 100,000 



2,600,000 7,040,000 
In these provinces, the slave population is to the free in the following proportions : — 



Rio Grande do Norte 1 : 

Goyaz 1 : 

Santa Catharina.......... 1: 

Alagoas - 1 

Para 1 

Mato Grosso 1 



4.221 
1.431 
3.4 



Sergipe 

Piauhy 

Espirito Santo.. 

Corte 

Rio de Janeiro. 



2.927 
2.666 
2.009 
2.409 
118.1 



The following is the rate of females to males : — 



Para 1.079 : 1 

Alagoas 1.069 : 1 

Sergipe 1.015 : 1 



Rio Grande do Norte., 

Rio de Janeiro 

Corte 



1.007 : 1 
1 : 1.270 
1 : 1.347 



The male population exceeds the female in Maranhao, Ceara, Pernambuco, S. Paulo, Santa Catha- 
rina, and Rio Grande do Sul. This is a singular result in the last two provinces, especially the latter, 
which for many years suffered from domestic and foreign wars. 

THE YELLOW FEVER OF BRAZIL. 
(Written for "Brazil and the Brazilians" by A. R. Egbert, M.D.) 
In a publication like the present, any elaborate medical disquisition on the yellow fever of Brazil 
would be obviously misplaced; yet in a work upon that country a brief sketch of this disease seems 
necessary. 

Owing to the peculiar situation of the Brazilian Empire, any one unacquainted with the country 
would naturally suppose that it would abound in those causes which, in all tropical countries, are so 
inimical to the lives of strangers. This is not the case, but exactly the reverse. Lying immediately 
under "the Line," Brazil is, for its situation, singularly mild and healthful. Its climate is delightful, 
and, along the coast especially, is tempered by a cool and never-failing breeze; while, in the interior, 
the elevation of the country compensates for its proximity to the Equator, — thus proving that climate 
must never be judged by latitude alone. All these things go to show why Brazil has been so free from 
the ravages of that " terrible scourge," the yellow fever. 

Like all other epidemics, yellow fever hides its origin in the mists of the past. These giant devasta- 
tors of nations have had no chroniclers to record their birth and early history. Some physicians 
imagine they can find this fever described in the writings of Hippocrates ; but they forget that the 
peculiar symptoms ou which they rely to establish the identity — black vomit and yellowness of the 

599 



600 



Appendix F. 



skin — are by no means peculiar to the disease in question. The prevalent opinion among those vrho 
have investigated the subject is that the disease is of modern origin; and some facts seem to connect 
it with the slave-trade. It certainly made its appearance simultaneously with that traffic, and some 
of our Southern physicians are convinced that it, like the blacks, was imported from Africa. 

As far as our knowledge extends, Pere Dutertre is the earliest writer who can be said to have alluded 
to this frightful scourge of the warmer shores of the Atlantic." He saw it in 1635, in the Antilles, 
and expressly tells us that before that time it was unknown in those islands. In 1647 it was in Barba- 
does. Pere Labat found it raging at Martinique in 1649. The earliest period at which this epidemic 
occurred in the territory of the United States was in 1693. at Boston. Since then it has been, unfor- 
tunately, too well known to our ancestors over the whole Atlantic coast. 

It first appeared in Brazil in December, 1S49, or January, 1850, and committed its greatest ravages 
in 1850, in the maritime provinces. It was especially violent at Para, Bahia, and Bio de Janeiro. 
Pernambuco escaped. Bad as it was, the accounts of its ravages were greatly exaggerated. In the 
whole Empire of Brazil, the population of which is more than seven millions, there were from this 
disease, in 1850, in fourteen thousand deaths ; and, according to the official reports, there were not 
quite four thousand deaths from yellow fever in the city of Bio de Janeiro, — whose population is three 
hundred thousand. Dr. Paulo Candido and Dr. Merrilles, who stand deservedly high in the medical 
profession, corroborate this statement. Dr. Lallemant, an eminent German physician of the first pro- 
fessional ability at Bio exaggerates, it seems to us, both the number of cases and deaths : the former 
he places at one hundred thousand, and the latter at ten thousand, — which seems to be utterly at 
variance with the statement of aU the reports from other and equally credible sources. But, even 
admitting Dr. Lallemant's figures, we can see how much less was the mortality than at New Orleans, 
(a city of one-third the population of Bio.) where in the month of August, 1S53, 5269 perished from this 
fell disease. And yet it has been represented that the capital of Brazil is the most unhealthy place in 
the world! According to Dr. Lallemant, 475 died at Bio in 1851; 1943 in 1852; 853 in 1S53; and only 
four in 1854. In 1857 a few scores of cases occurred, but we have not the exact number at hand. 

In 1854 the disease had entirely disappeared, and has not since shown itself until in the beginning 
of 1857, and in the month of March of that year it ceased. 

There is little doubt that the cause of yellow fever is peculiar and specific. But great diversities of 
opinion exist upon the nature of this cause. Some consider it to be a living, organized, microscopic 
being, and others regard it as a species of ferment. Strong reasons are adduced in favor of both theories ; 
but nothing is positively and definitely known of the nature of the cause. 

As to whether the disease be contagious or not, authorities are divided. But it is now beginning to 
be generally conceded that it is not contagious ; and the burden of proof is certainly in favor of this 
view of the subject. 

Yellow fever exhibits a great diversity of phenomena, occasioned by a variety of influences, — 
assuming the particular form in accordance with the circumstances of its appearance, — scorbutic, 
typhous, or whatever the case may be. 

[The symptoms are then described. The writer thus continues : — ] 

These symptoms generally last from a few hours to three days, when they subside, leaving the 
patient cheerful and hopeful. But this is a delusive calm, and continues from a few hours to twenty- 
four. Then set in debility and prostration. In severe cases the weakness is extreme : the pulse is quick, 
irregular, and feeble ; the skin is yellow, orange, or of a bronzed aspect ; the blood appears to be nearly 
stagnant in the capillaries, and the dependent and extreme parte of the body become of a dark pur- 
plish hue. The tongue is now often brown and dryish in the centre, or smooth, red, and chapped ; 
and sordes occasionally collects about the gums and teeth. The stomach resumes its iiTitability, and 
the black vomit appears. The bowels often give way and discharge large quantities of black matter, 
similar to that ejected by the stomach, — and occasionally hemorrhage takes place from various parts 
of the body ; low delirium sets in ; an offensive odor sometimes exhales from the whole body ; the 
eyes become sunken and the countenance collapsed, and death takes place, often quietly, but some- 
times in the midst of convulsions. 

Occasionally patients will die of yellow fever without either the black vomit, yellowness of the skin, 
or hemorrhage appearing. 

Instead of pursuing this fatal course, the system very often reacts after the period of abatement, 
and a secondary fever sets in, which may be of various grades of violence. It continues a variable 
length of time, — sometimes speedily terminating in health, and sometimes running into a typhoid 
form, which may last, with various results, for two or three weeks or more. In severe cases the con- 
valescence is always extremely tedious, and the patient is often incommoded by obstinate and unhealthy 
sores or abscesses in various parts of the body. 

In some cases the animal functions seem to be at first almost untouched. The patient may be walking 
in the streets and nothing call attention to his case, unless, it may be, an unusual expression of counte- 
nance. Upon his pulse being examined, it is found to be exceedingly feeble, if not quite absent at the 
wrist. Black vomit and death speedily ensue. These have been called " walking cases." 



Appendix F. 



601 



The modes of treatment are many and widely different,— sometimes none of the slightest use. 

[As the treatment of yellow fever in the United States is within the reach of all, it has been thought 
best to omit mention of it here, and only to insert Dr. Egbert's account of the Brazilian method as 
laid down by one of the first physicians of the Empire. — J. C. F.] 

The prevention of the disease is of course even more important than its treatment. Individuals 
who are unable to leave the place where the disease prevails should select a residence in the highest 
and healthiest spots; should sleep in the highest parts of the house; should avoid the night-air; 
should abstain from fatiguing exercise, exposure to alternations of temperature, and excesses of all 
kinds; should endeavor to maintain a cheerful and confident temper; should use nutritious and 
wholesome but not stimulating diet ; and, if compelled to enter any spot where the atmosphere is 
known to be infected, should take care not to do so when the stomach is empty or the body exhausted 
by perspiration or fatigue. 

According to the best medical authorities in the United States, attempts to guard against this disease 
by low diet, bleeding, purging, or the use of mercury, are futile, — if not worse ; for they weaken the 
system, and the weaker the system the less is it able to resist the entrance of the poison, or its influence 
when absorbed. 

The following mode of treatment is that recommended and pursued by Dr. Paulo Candido, of Rio, 
and was under him eminently successful. 

" The first step is to cleanse the digestive canal. Castor oil, in a dose of two, four, or even six ounces, 
must be admistered without delay, whatever be the state of the patient. If he obstinately rejects this 
remedy, employ citrate of magnesia or neutral salts in sufficient quantity to produce eight evacua- 
tions. This effect ought to be kept up the succeeding days, but with greater moderation. Neither 
foreign substances nor intestinal secretions ought to be allowed to remain : they become the centres of 
poisonous matter. The torpor of the intestines does not allow us to trust wholly to purgatives : it is 
necessary to administer injections, and I make use of the following mixture : — 



" R • — Expressed juice of Persicaria, cut up and steeped in water 2 lbs. 

Lemon-juice (skin and pulp cut and squeezed) 4 oz. 

Sulphate of Soda 4 " 

Socotrine Aloes 4 " 

Camphor, and Sulphate of Quinine, each 1 drachm. 

M. — Saturate with kitchen salt. 
Q. S. for two or three enemas. 



"If persicaria cannot be obtained, it may be replaced by the same quantity of infusion of chamomile, 
orange-leaves, or sea-water. 

"These injections must be given every two hours, as hot as possible: they are rejected immediately, 
but are usually followed by an abundant perspiration ; but the use must be continued. 

" Hot sinapisms at the soles of the feet, the knees, and the thighs, ought to be employed from the first, 
conjointly with the above remedies, and repeated until some abatement of fever ensues. 

" Friction all over the body, particularly on the abdomen, groin, armpits, arms, with the following : — 



" R . — Camphorated Yinegar 1 lb. 

Sulphate of Quinine 2 drachms. 

Tincture of Quinine 2 oz. 

Creosote 1 drachm. 

M. 



" A drachm of creosote in half a pound of spirits of wine, to rub the abdomen, arms, and sides, is an 
excellent means of provoking perspiration and producing other effects. These frictions must be per- 
formed under the coverings of the bed, in order not to chill the patient, and must be continued for three 
or four hours. Besides their antiseptic action, they produce perspiration. 

"A weak infusion of borage, sweetened, every hour, very hot, each infusion prepared at the time 
of being taken ; or of hot gum-water. 

"If the perspiration cannot be effected in two or three hours, we must have recourse to the tincture 
of aconite napel, (monk's-hood,) one drachm of, in two pounds of water, to take by spoonfuls every 
quarter of an hoiir, without interrupting the other means. 

"Besides, in four hours after the evacuants have been administered, the use of interior chloride 
must commence : — 

" R • — Eau de Labarraque 2 drachms. 

Distilled water, slightly acidulated with Muriatic Acid V< bottle. 

M.— 

"Take three spoonfuls of this mixture in half a cup of fresh water, or simply a spoonful of Eau de 
Labarraque in a glass of pure water, and take a spoonful of this solution every quarter or half hour. 

" Sugar must never be added to Eau de Labarraque. It must be saturated with chloride, which is 
easily known by the smell, and kept out of the light. 



602 



Appendix F. 



" Tor very delicate persons the dose must be weaker. All these means must be continuous : thev do 
not contradict each other. 

■•At the end of twenty-four hours, the malady is generally subdued; but the medicaments must not 
cease, but the employment of them relaxed or the intervals augmented, 

"Relapses, and that deceitful calm that is so often noticed preceding death, take place from the 
abdominal secretions having been permitted to be reabsorbed. Therefore the medicaments must be 
continued. 

"I permit no broth, oranges, wine, or any thing else, until two days after the symptoms have 
disappeared and when the pulse has lowered perhaps to forty. 

" I have often had recourse to sialagogues for the secretion of saliva : these are such substances as 
ginger, cinnamon, liquorice-root, kept in the mouth. I advise amateurs to smoke cigars. 

" Tonics, especially the preparations of quinine, are very useful in small repeated doses when only 
weakness remains. 

" I ought to add, that if the terrible symptom of suppression of urine takes place, I give to the 
patient a drachm of nitrate of potash dissolved in a bottle of water, — half a cupful every half or quarter 
of an hour ; injections of an ounce of camphorated vinegar in two cupfuls of tepid water ; frictions of 
the same vinegar or camphorated oil of almonds on the abdomen repeated at short intervals. 

" I have no faith in bleeding, leeches, cupping, calomel, quinine internally, ammonia, laudanum, 
opium, arsenic, turpentine, nitrate of silver, ice, hot or cold baths, &c." 

The treatment of Dr. Paulo Candido differs very materially from that pursued by the prominent 
physicians of the United States. It also diners from that pursued in the West Indies. The reason of 
this is, I presume, owing to the different character of the disease in Brazil. The yellow fever first 
appeared in Brazil on the 2Sth of December, 1849, and remained in the country from that time until 
March, 1S54; in December, '57 it reappeared in a milder form, and in April disappeared. 

The following is a schedule, from official records, of the number of deaths in the Empire and in the 
Capital, (where it was the most severe,) separately, during each year : — 





Population. 


Deaths in 1S50. 


Deaths in 
1851. 


Deaths in 
1852. 


Deaths in 
1853. 


Deaths in 
1854. 


Empire. 

Bio de Janeiro. 


7,000,000 
800,000 


14.000 
3827 


8719 
475 


9527 
1943 


8531 
853 


04 



This table shows that the disease was comparatively light, the percentage being small. 

The following is an extract from the " Report of the Minister of the Empire" for 1855. 

" The yellow fever, as an epidemic, may be considered nearly extinct in this city, (Bio.) This benefit 
is particularly owing to the very vigilant sanitary policy that has been established. The great number 
of ships from all parts of the world which frequent this port has ever been the great focus of infection 
for this and other epidemics. 

'■ Happily, this has been combated by the disinfecting measures that have been resorted to, and by 
the prompt succor that has been rendered to the afflicted crews, who, as soon as the epidemic shows 
itself, are conducted in the steamer (health-steamer) to the maritime hospital of Jurujuba, where they 
receive the most judicious and careful treatment. This hospital merits aU praise. During the past 
year there entered 1627 patients, (not all yellow fever:) cured, 1576; died, 40. Therefore the mortality 
was less than 2]4 per cent." 

The origin of this pestilence in Brazil is a mooted point, and has given rise to the most conflicting 
views among the best observers : for example, Dr. Penuell, of Bio, and Dr. Patterson, of Bahia. enter- 
tain precisely opposite opinions, — the former contending for the indigenous, the latter for the foreign, 
origin of the disease ; and both offer cogent arguments and striking facts in support of the opposite 
conclusions. 

The scope of this paper does not admit of medical discussion ; yet, as the facts observed by Dr. Pen- 
nell are highly important, and, as his conclusions entirely coincide with those of Dr. Dundas. a short 
sketch of them will be given. 

They state that for some years the fevers of the country had been clearly changing their character, 
and the genuine remittent had been little seen for three years; that it was replaced in 1S47, '4S, and 
'49, by a fever of its own class, popularly known as the " Polka fever," but in reality a remittent ; 
and that this fever was, in its turn, superseded by the yellow fever, a disease with similar features. 

Coincident with these and other changes in the diseases of Brazil, the climate in its broad features 
had altered strangely. Thunder-storms — formerly of daily occurrence at a certain hour, so that 
appointments for business or pleasure were made in reference to them as to taking place "before" or 
" after' the shower during the summer — are now but seldom heard. There was, too. at the commence- 
ment and during the continuance of the pestilence, a stagnation and want of elasticity in the atmosphere, 
from the cessation to a great degree of the fresh and regular winds from the sea, — a change very per- 
ceptible and very oppressive. 



Appendix F. 



603 



The supporters of the theory of the foreign origin of yellow fever insist that it was imported by a certain 
ship from New Orleans to Bahia, (some say to Pernambuco,) and thouce diffused throughout the Empire. 
Some of them urge that it was imported from Africa by slave-ships, whilst the facts adduced by Dr. 
Pennell go far to establish, as already stated, its indigenous parentage. Dr. Dund;is says that in support 
of this opinion we have the strong additional fact that for the last forty years there has existed, uncon- 
trolled b}' any efficient quarantine-laws, an extensive intercourse with the United States, Africa, and 
the West Indies, — the very hotbeds of yellow fever,— and yet up to 1849 Brazil remained perfectly 
healthy. Can we then in reason believe, if the disease be deemed really importable, that the maritime 
cities of Brazil could, under such circumstances, have escaped infection for a period of forty years ? Though 
it is usual to say that no epidemic has visited Brazil, yet several of the older writers, as Rocha Pita in 
1666, Pere Labat in 16S6, and Fereira da Rosa in 1694, have recorded the appearance of epidemics closely 
resembling the yellow fever, which, after persisting for some years, and desolating some of the large 
cities on the coast, finally passed away. 

Drs. Pennell and Dundas conclude, from the above and other facts, that the yellow fever, which 
recently afflicted Brazil, is not an imported disease, but owes its origin to certain obscure atmospheric 
disturbances, embracing variations of temperature, hygrornetric influence, electrical tension, atmospheric 
pressure. &c. ; and, judging from the previous history of Brazil, we believe that these unfavorable con- 
ditions are but temporary : and we are rejoiced to be able to hope that the disease has nearly passed 
away, that Brazil will maintain its character of unparalleled salubrity among the tropical regions of 
the globe, and will deserve its title of " the Italy of the New World." 

The following statements will show the greater healthfulness of Brazil as compared with the United 
States. 

In 1847, in New Orleans, there were 2252 deaths from yellow fever. The popidation was about 90,000. 

In 1S53, there were, from May 26 to October 22, S406 deaths from the yellow fever. The population 
of the city was more than 100,000 ; but, owing to so many having fled, it was estimated that not more 
than 50,000 people were in the city during the prevalence of the epidemic. 

In 1854, there were nearly 14,000 cases of yellow fever in New Orleans ; from July 14 to October 15, 
there were 2420 deaths from this cause. The population was about 102,000. 

In Mobile, during the year 1853, there were, from August 1 to September 16, 611 deaths from yellow 
fevev. Population of the city, 12,500. 

In Natchez, in 1S53, there were, from July 17 to September 20, 263 deaths from yellow fever. Popu- 
lation, 5000, of which only 2000 remained in the city. 

In Charleston, in 1854, there were from fifteen to twenty deaths daily during the height of the disease. 
Population, 29,000. 

In Galveston, in 1854, there were from fourteen to fifteen deaths daily. Population, 7000. 

In Savannah, during the year 1854, from August 23 to October 17, there were 919 deaths from yellow 
fever. Population, 11,000. Three-fourths of the population fled to the country : the roads a few miles 
from the city were lined with the tents of the fugitives. 

In general, it has been found that from one-half to two-thirds of the population flee from the cities 
in the United States when any severe epidemic prevails ; and this must be born in mind whUst reading 
the above data. 

In the terrible scourge at Norfolk and Portsmouth, Ta., in 1855, 45 per cent, of the whole popula- 
tion died from yellow fever. The city was nearly deserted, there being scarcely a sufficient number to 
take care of the sick. The duration of the disease was one hundred and twenty-seven days. 

Now, compare these data with the table before mentioned, and we immediately see the comparative 
immunity of Brazil from the yellow fever even during its most fatal visits. Under such circumstances 
further comments, so far as comparison with the United States is concerned, are useless. 

It is very probable that the mildness of the climate may have exerted a greatly modifying influence 
upon the disease, rendering it less severe and less fatal. 

In writing the above article we do not profess to have done any thing more than to have made 
a mere compilation from different authorities and arranged them to suit our purpose. We therefore, 
whatever may be the merit of the production, disclaim all originality. 

The authorities we have been enabled to consult, and from which we have drawn our materiel, are as 
follows :— 

Medical News and Library for 1853 and 1S54. 
Dr. Wood's Practice of Medicine. 
New Orleans Medical and Surgical Journal for 1S53. 
Report of the Minister of the Empire of Brazil. 
Harper's New Monthly Magazine, 1857. 

Sketches of Brazil, (a medical work.) by Robert Dundas, M.D., Supt. of the British Hospital at Bahia. 
Ccnseils contre la propagation de la fievre jaune, by Dr. Paulo Candido, Rio de Janeiro. 
And the Report of Dr. Lallemant, of Rio de Janeiro. 



Appendix G. 



The following statement, divided into three 
periods of five years each, shows the aggregate im- 
ports into Brazil from foreign countries, in contos 
de reis. (A conto = £112 10s. esc. 27c? per 1$000.) 



1840-41. ..57.727 
18-41-42. ..56.040 

1842- 43... 50.639 

1843- 44...55;289 

1844- 45. ..57,228 



1S45-46... 52.193 1850-51... 76,918 

1846- 47... 55,740 1851-52. ..92,860 

1847- 48. ..47.349 1852-53. ..87.336 
184S-49... 51,569 1853-54. ..84.863 
1849-50. ..59,165 1854-55... 84,780 



Statement of exports from Brazil, from 1841 to 
1855, divided into three periods of five years each, 
(in conto de reis.) 



1840- 41. ..41,670 

1841- 42... 39,084 

1842- 43. ..41.039 

1843- 44. ..43.800 

1844- 45...47,054 



1845- 46. ..53,630 

1846- 47... 52.449 

1847- 48... 57 .925 

1848- 49. ..56.789 

1849- 50. ..55,032 



1850- 51. ..67.788 

1851- 52... 66.640 

1852- 53. ..73.644 
1S53-54...76.842 
1854-55. ..90,570 



1st Period. 2d Period. 3d Period. 1855. 

Imports .'. 276,923 266,016 426,757 84.780 

Exports 215,547 *. 275,325 375,484 90,570 

Statement of principal exports in two periods of five years each, and in 1854-55. 



Articles. 



Bum 

Cotton 

Bice 

Sugar 

Hair 

Cacao 

Coffee 

Hides, salted.., 

Hides, dry 

Diamonds 

Tobacco 

India- Bubber ., 

Mate 

Gold (bullion). 
Sarsaparilla.... 



canadas 
arrobas 



number 
arroba 
oitavas 
arrobas 



oitavas 
arrobas 



1st Period. 
1844-45 to 1848-49. 
Average. 



2,709,669 
714,959 
291,262 
7,591,885 
31,740 
190,203 
7,873,952 
680,028 
675,283 
632 
326.343 
3S,336 
254,474 
194.808 
3.469 



2d Period. 
1849-50 to 1853-54. 
Average. 



2,654,820 
956,237 
256,865 

8,652.252 
47,081 
276.506 

8,850,183 
512,078 
533.653 
6.364 
499,204 
105,784 
404,221 
195.756 
5,003 



1854-55. 



3,848,546 
869.960 
236.677 
7,961,422 
46.047 
147.901 
13,027.523 
475.985 
50S.747 
12,459 
631,161 
195.284 
372,098 
76.3S2 
3,535 



Statement of principal imports in two periods of 
five years eacft, and the year 1854-55. 



Cotton (manufact.) ... 
Wool... " 
Linen .. " 

Silk " 

Mixed.. " 

Wines 

Flour (wheat) 

Hardware 

Codfish and fish 

Crockery, porcelain 

and cut glasses , 

Specie...., 

Salt 

Butter 

Machinery 

Drugs 

Tea 

Copper 

Coal 

Furniture ..... 

Arms 

Boots and Shoes 

Beef and Pork 

Oil 

Spirits, distilled 

Powder , 

604 



Average. 


Average. 




1844-45 


1849-50 


1854-55. 


1843-49. 


1853-54. 




Value in 


Value in 


Value in 


Coutos. 


Contos. 


Ontos. 


16.781 


26,445 


25,756 


2.926 


4,821 


4,557 


1,905 


2,510 


2,187 


1,287 


1,892 


2.562 


1,571 


2,222 


2,815 


3,058 


3,321 


3,145 


3,457 


4,330 


4,173 


2,193 


3,256 


3,547 


1,212 


1,584 


2,245 


932 


1,403 


1,615 


2,050 


6,929 


4.566 


796 


687 


i;m 


1,186 


1,394 


1,347 


213 


242 


225 


467 


724 


858 


277 


272 


330 


398 


404 


487 


542 


1,063 


1,550 


163 


115 


'201 


206 


316 


410 


314 


329 


679 


750 


1,560 


1,579 


608 


566 


727 


400 


467 


542 


241 


330 


341 



The importation of Brazil in two periods were 
made by the principal importers as follows : — 

1844-45. 1854-55. 
Great Britain and Possessions. ..30,503 contos 454.50 

France and Possessions 7.441 9,978 

Portugal and Possessions 4.552 6,468 



Spain and Possessions 737. 

United States 5,703.. 

Hanseatic Cities 2.725. 

Biver La Plata 1,711. 

Belgium 868., 

Chile 92. 

Sardinia 328.. 

Austria 475. 

Others 2,093.. 



1,230 
6,991 
4.884 
4.217 
1,671 
1,128 
755 
260 
1,648 



57,228 



84,730 



The exports of Brazil were made 
To 

Great Britain and Possessions. ..11,306 contos 29. 

France and Possessions 2,462 8. 

Portugal and Possessions 4,216 4, 

Spain and Possessions 697 

United States 9.210 23. 

6! 
4. 
2. 
1. 
1, 
1. 
5i 



Hanseatic Cities 4,844. 

River La Plata 2,427. 

Belo-ium 1,612. 

Chile 165., 

Sardinia 1,072., 

Austria 3,125., 

Others 5,918., 

47,054 



90,570 



Appendix G. 



005 



The four principal articles of export from Brazil in 
fifteen years. Arroba = 32 lbs. 

Cotton. Coffee. Sugar, 

(arrobas.) (arrobas.) (arrobas.) 

1840- 41 691,875 5,059,22.3 6,698,391 

1841- 42 639,580 5,565,325 4,817,577 

1842- 43 685,149 5,897,555 5,209,721 

1843- 44 814,255 6,294,281 5,682,980 

1844- 45 826.445 6,229,277 7.476,286 

1845- 46 645,345 7,034,582 7,110,804 

1846- 47 606,882 7,947,753 6,963,960 

1847- 48 639,288 9,307,292 7,409,349 

1848- 49 849,416 8,354.840 8,801,616 

1849- 50 1,109,314 5,935,817 7,993,586 

1850- 51 883,440 10,148,268 9,907,860 

1851- 52 898,250 9,544,858 7,480,099 

1852- 53 997,90S 9,923,982 10,681,344 

1853- 54 892,273 8,698.036! 8,258,378 

1854- 55 869,960 13,027,526 7,951,422 

REVENUE OF BRAZIL. 
Statistics of the public revenue during eighteen 
years, divided into six periods of tbree years each, — 
showing the progressive increase from the year 
1837 up to 1855. 

Revenue triennial. 
( 2d, the increase was 3,678 cont. 



The 1st triennum 1 3d, 
compared with \ 4th, 
the 5th, 
1 6th, 



5,608 

10,449 <: 

12,827 " 

20,487 « 



In 1837-38 the revenue of Brazil was 13,252 contos. 
In 1842-43 " " " 18.103 " 
In 1852-53 " " " 36)391 " 

The following shows the public revenue for two 
periods of five years each : — 

1845-46.. 25,693 1850-51 31,532 



46- 47 26,764 

47- 48 24.124 

48- 49 25,204 

49- 50 26,977 



51- 52 35.786 

52- 53 36,917 

53- 54 34,499 

54- 55 35,595 



Total, 128,762 



Total, 174,329 



Estimates of expenditures for 1856-57. 

Department of Empire 5,309 contos. 

Department of Justice 3,002 " 

Department of Navy 4,537 " 

Department of War... 8,691 " 

Department of Foreign Affairs 588 " 

Department of Finance 11,651 " 

33,780 « 

* Estimated receipts, 34,000 " 

Balance, 220 « 

* This estimate is generally below the revenue 
received. 

DEBT. 

In December, 1854, the exterior debt amounted 
to £5,824,200 ; in December, 1855, it was reduced 
to £5,635,900. 

The interior funded debt up to December 31, 
1855, was as follows : — 

Contos 55.795 at 6perct. 

" 1,824 « 5 « 

" 119 « 4 « 

57.739 

Debt not converted 443 

Treasury notes in circula- 
tion 3,596 



61,778 
50,096 



Total debt of Brazil 111,864 contos, 

or £12. 584,700. 
The paper money circulating is about 45,000 
contos. 

Coinage of Gold and Silver. 

1854-55 2,399 contos. 

1849-54 27,566 " 



29,965 contos. 



The following are the classes of revenue. 



Custom-house or importation. 
_ « f 2d the increase was 3.352 
.2?* [ 3d " " 4,484 
4th « " 7,181 
5th « " 9,455 
6th « " 16,033 



Exports. 
' the 2d increase 592 
3d « 829 
4th " 1,633 
5th " 1,721 
6th " 1,817 



Provincial, 
the 2d was a reduction of 265 contos. 
3d was an increase of 595 " 
4th « " 1,631 « 

5th " « 1,651 " 

6th " " 2,636 " 



[The various tables of Appendix G. were prepared with great care by M. le Chevalier d'Aguair, 
Brazilian Consul at New York.] 



LINE OF THE NORTH AND SOUTH AMERICAN STEAM-SHIP COMPANY, 

From New York and Savannah to St. Thomas, Barbados, Demerara, and Para. 




Brazilian Imperial Line, touching at all ports and capitals each way, semi-monthly, between Para, Rio 
de Janeiro, and La PJata. Also, Line of large Propellers (semi-monthly) between Ceara and Maceio. Also, several 
coast lines between the several cities. * 

Also, seven Steamers running to Peru monthly, and to Barra do Rio Negro semi-montlity, on the Amazon, Tocan- 
tins, Tapajos, Madeira, and Negro Rivers. 

Royal Mail Lines, all semi-monthly, each way, between St. Thomas and Southampton; Vera Cruz, Havana, 
Porto Rico, and Hayli; Jamaica and Balize de Honduras; Havana and Vera Cruz ; San Juan; Chagres or Colon; to 
all the "Windward Islands, — Antigua, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Barbados, St. Vincent's, Granada. Trinidad, and to 
English, Dutch, and French Guiana. Also, from Demerara to the Orinoco and Venezuela, semi-monthly. 

Also, Cunard Line between St. Thomas, Bermuda, and Halifax; formerly, from those islands to New York. These 
lines reach America in Nova Scotia and Central America only ; not anywhere touching the United States. 

Also, English Line from Panama to Valparaiso and about twenty intermediate places. 

Also, Venezuelan Semi-monthly Sailing- Packets between St. Thomas, La Guayra, and Porto Cabello. 

The Short United. States Line, which collects the mails from so many points, touches at Savannah. St. 
Thomas, Barbados, Demerara, and Cayenne, including New York and Para. The distance from the United States to 
Rio by this and the Brazilian Line is 600 miles shorter than that of the English Lines. 

* Eight Lines between Europe and Pernambuco, Bahia, and Rio de Janeiro, monthly, and of large steamers; 
namely, the Southampton (Eng. Royal Mail), Liverpool (British Mail), Luzo-Brazileira (Brazilian and Portuguese), 
Havre (French), Marseilles (French), Genoa (Sardinian), Antwerp (Belgian), and Hamburg (German). 

Also. Brazilian semi-monthly, and English Royal Mail, and Southampton, each monthly, touching at all ports 
between Rio and Buenos Ayres. 

The clotted line shows the course that a letter takes from New Orleans, by New York, Liverpool, Southampton, 
Portugal, Madeira, and the Cape de Yerdes, to any part of Brazil. The letters for Para leave the British line at Per- 
nambuco and take the Brazilian coast steamer. 

The other dotted line shows the proposed steam line from Liverpool to Para. 



Appendix H. 



COMMERCE AND STEAMSHIP NAVIGATION, BETWEEN BRAZIL, 
AND THE UNITED STATES AND EUROPE. 

The following remarks and the elaborate and reliable tables and analyses which 
accompany them are extracted from a paper prepared with great care by Dr. 
Thomas Rainey, of New York, for the New York Historical Society, entitled, " The 
Commerce of Brazil with the United States and Great Britain, considered in its bear- 
ings on the establishment of Mail- Steamship Communication between the United States, 
the West India Islands, and Brazil." They are fuller, more complete and com- 
prehensive in their generalizations, as well as more minute in their details, and 
cover the whole field more effectually, than any thing which has been written on 
the subject : — 

"Since the establishment of 'the Independence and the Empire,' in 1822, Brazil 
has made a steady and unfaltering march in civilization, improvement, permanence, 
and power. Until the year 1808 her ports had been closed to the commerce of all 
other nations than Portugal ; the anxiety of the mother-country with regard to her 
rich colonies and the fear of foreign influence being so great, that she prevented, 
by all possible means, any intelligence reaching Europe which might disclose the 
value and importance of her undeveloped foreign possessions, or in any way attract 
such attention to their commercial advantages as to excite a contest over them. 
The Government was so imbued with this spirit, and carried this rigid and unwise 
policy so far, that it issued an order, which was executed under the strictest 
surveillance, to the effect that the eminent savant, Alexander Von Humboldt, who 
was then travelling in the Spanish American provinces for purely scientific pur- 
poses, should not be permitted to enter any portion of the Brazilian territory. 
From the time that Dom Joao VI., King of Portugal, entered Brazil for the pur- 
pose of making Rio de Janeiro the seat of his kingdom, until the abdication of his 
son, Dom Pedro I., in 1831, in favor of Dom Pedro II., then a child, and even 
through the regency, until Dom Pedro II. ascended the throne, in 1841, at the age 
of sixteen, the foreign commerce of Brazil gradually increased, notwithstanding the 
constant agitations, violence, and revolutions, which marked nearly the whole of 
that transition and crystallizing period of the Brazilian Empire. He removed, in 
1808, the extraordinary restrictions on foreign trade and intercourse to which I 
have alluded; encouraged intercourse with foreign nations; stimulated domestic 
industry and enterprise ; guaranteed the rights of property ; and endeavored, by 
laudable efforts, to build up and sustain a large foreign trade, on which he knew 
that the revenues of this portion of the kingdom necessarily depended, as well as 

607 



608 



Appendix H. 



stimulate his people to the production of those numerous and rich staples -which 
would so greatly increase the wealth, power, and independence of Brazil. But the 
few past years, especially since the accession of the present emperor, have wit- 
nessed extraordinary progress in the material wealth, prosperity, and power of this 
young empire ; a progress attributable to the stability of her government, to the 
necessities of commerce, and to the advancing and controlling civilization of the 
times. The greatly-increased demand for her principal staple, — coffee, — as well as 
for many of her other important products, — sugar, molasses, cotton, tobacco, rice,, 
rubber, hides, cacao, salsa-parrilha, erva mate, farinha, precious woods, dyewoods, 
nuts, fruits, tapioca, annatto, clove-bark, balsam-copaiba, isinglass, piassaba, puxirf, 
(sassafras-nuts,) tonqua beans, gum-copal, guarana, vanilla beans, diamonds, gold- 
dust, bullion, and several ores and paints, — has led to a wise, liberal, and wide- 
spread system of internal improvements and inland and ocean steam-navigation 
for the development of the varied and vast physical resources of the empire. 
Agriculture is becoming extended throughout her wide-spread territory, which, 
until within a few years, was a vast and untamed virgin forest, with a population 
too sparse for any regular intercommunication or for concerted action, and too 
weak for the maintenance of national and territorial integrity, except by extra- 
ordinary effort and foresight on the part of its rulers. But his majesty Dom Pedro 
Segundo has imbibed and obeyed the spirit of the times as fully, during the few 
years of his actual reign, and advanced the material and social prosperity of his 
country as safely and rapidly, as any ruler living. 

It is my purpose to direct the attention of the Society particularly to the com- 
merce between the United States and Brazil, and between Great Britain and 
Brazil, and, at the same time, to notice the total value of our commerce not only 
with Brazil, but with all those rich fields of trade embracing the West India 
Islands, the Spanish Main, in South America, Venezuela, and the Guianas, the 
Orinoco and the Amazon Valleys, and Buenos Ayres, Uruguay, and the various 
republics lying on La Plata, which are directly affected by the mail-steamship 
intercourse which we propose establishing. 

The total sum of annual trade, exports and imports, between the United States 
and the countries named, including Brazil, is, for the years — 

1854 Imports, $46,197,059 Exports, $27,326,072 .Total, $73,523,131. 

1855 ...Imports, $50,277,502 , Exports, $27,454,082 Total, $77,731,584. 

1856 Imports, $62,726,587 Exports, $29,400,977 Total, $93,857,512. 

The total foreign trade of the United States for 1856 was : Imports, $314,639,942 : 
exports, $326,964,908 : total foreign trade, $641,604,850. 

It is a most singular fact that, with an aggregate trade so large as this, and 
composed of those staple articles so essential to each country, the United States 
— with the largest commercial marine in the world, disputing with the last great 
contending rival the championage of the seas, and claiming an aggregate civilization 
equalled by that of no other people on the globe — should yet lag behind some of 
even the most insignificant nations of Europe in the prosecution of that trade, 
which all of the natural advantages of geographical contiguity would proclaim 
peculiarly her own ; that she should not sustain a single steamship-line of any 
class to those vast, important, and growing countries where we have the large 
trade noticed above ; while to Brazil alone, Great Britain, with a trade but fifty- 
four per cent, larger than ours, (though far more rapidly increasing,) is now sup- 
porting two distinct lines of first-class steamships; France, with fifty-six per cent, 
less trade, also two first-class lines ; Genoa, with a trade not two and a half per 



Appendix II. 



009 



cent, of ours, one first-class line; Portugal, with a trade only twenty-five per cent, 
of ours, one first-class line ; Hamburg, one first-class line; and Belgium, with a 
trade only ten per cent, of that of the United States with Brazil, having also one 
line of first-class steamships with which to prosecute it. The record is startling ; 
but will, doubtless, be very speedily and effectually corrected by our Government ; 
and, I trust, in a ratio commensurate with the glaring necessity. 

The commercial men of this country complain bitterly that the Government gives 
them no facilities for conducting this large trade successfully, and competing, on 
fair terms, with foreign merchants. They see Brazil, the Spanish-American Re- 
publics, and the West Indies, lying right at our door, on the sunny side of our 
republic, much nearer to us than to Great Britain and other European countries, 
and offering to us a trade which is now very large, but which, if not already as 
large as that with the Old World, is yet destined within the coming generation to 
be the largest, the richest, the most natural, and the most profitable in the whole 
world. Its capacity for development and expansion is almost indefinite and bound- 
less. They complain not so much that Great Britain has the monopoly of this 
trade, which naturally belongs to the United States, — not so much that she con- 
ducts that trade by steam-facilities, to the detriment of us who have none, — not so 
much that she has even four lines of steamers and weekly communication, as well 
as the advantage and use of all the other European lines, — but that the citizens of 
the United States are not permitted to enter into a fair competition for this trade. 
Our people probably surpass any other people in the world in individual and aggre- 
gate enterprise and energy. They ask as few favors of the Government as any 
people on earth ; doing every thing that is practicable, and that energy and capital 
can accomplish, without the intervention of the Government. But there are some 
things that, with the entire concentrated skill and ability of the nation, her citizens 
cannot accomplish ; and one of these is the maintenance of steamship mail-lines 
on the ocean. In ordinary enterprises competition necessitates improvement; and 
mechanical improvement and skill, in due course of time, enable individuals to 
compass ends otherwise deemed impracticable and unattainable. These attempts 
have all been made, in every form, with ocean-navigation. It was supposed that, 
by superior engines and great economy of fuel, a speed high enough for all ordinary 
mail-purposes could be attained, and yet leave enough room for freight and pas- 
sengers to enable the income from these, at rates much higher than on sailing- 
vessels, to pay for fuel, engineering, and the great additional cost of running a 
steamer. Vast engineering skill and ability have been directed to this point both 
in this country and Europe; and this object has been declared the commercial de- 
sideratum of the age. But all of these efforts have failed in their design : so much 
so that thei-e is not, to-day, one steam-line upon the high-seas of the whole world 
which is not sustained by a subsidy from some Government. Many attempts have 
been made by British merchants to do a freighting and passenger business in propel- 
lers, without any mail-pay, and depending on their receipts alone. These, too, have 
all failed. No permanent line of these propellers has been established to any of our 
American cities, except by subsidized companies, owning side-wheel steamers also. 
It has been found that to bring the propeller to any reasonable approach to the 
side-wheel steamer in speed, so as to adapt it to mail-purposes, would require 
for it about as much fuel and other general outlay as for the regular side-wheel 
steamer. 

The only trade in which it has even been supposed that steamers of any descrip- 
tion whatever could carry freight is that between Europe and the United States, 

39 



610 



Appendix H. 



where there are vast quantities of rich, costly goods, in small and valuable pack- 
ages, which pay an extra rate of freight, as express goods ; but, even here, the 
steam-freighting system without Governmental aid has proved a failure. There 
have been one or two cases where a steamer could make money in carrying freight, 
as between this country and California during the gold-crisis, and owing to the 
great distance around the Horn, as well as an unnaturally large passenger-trade. 
This, however, was a state of commerce wholly abnormal, and such as is not likely 
to occur once in a century, or last very long ; or prove more than an infinitesimal 
exception to the great general laws of freighting and commercial transport. 

Great Britain has learned this doctrine from experience, and is profiting by it. 
Her wise merchants and statesmen know that commerce can be accommodated only 
by rapid steam-mails, which have regular and reliable periods for arrival and de- 
parture; and that, although these mails cost the Government and the people some- 
thing more than those slow and uncertain communications which depend on 
sailing-vessels and overland transit, yet they are enabled, by the facilities which 
they afford, to monopolize and control the commerce of the world, and divert it 
from even the most natural channels into the lap of British wealth. It is in this 
view of the subject that our merchants so justly complain that our Government, by 
refusing to give them the facilities commensurate with the demands of the age, 
deprives them of the power or privilege of competing with foreign nations, and 
palsies their hands, simply because they are not able, individually and by their 
associated capital, to do that which the Government only can do. The reason 
why our mail-steamers require the aid of our Government is that foreign Govern- 
ments subsidize their lines ; hence our individual enterprise could not compete 
with their individual enterprise and that of their Government combined. The 
reason why foreign Governments thus subsidize their mail-lines is, that those lines 
cannot depend upon their own receipts for support, or run without Governmental aid. 
This is also the prime reason for Governmental aid in running our lines. These 
facts are undisputed by steamshipmen and merchants, and are verified by the 
practice of the whole world, and the great number of failures in attempting to sus- 
tain steamers, from year to year, on regular lines, by their receipts alone. 

In enumerating the steam-lines to Brazil, I have said that Great Britain had 
two, — the Royal Mail from Southampton, and the Liverpool, — both of which extend 
to Lisbon, Madeira, Teneriffe, Pernambuco, Bahia, and Rio de Janeiro, and thence 
to Montevideo and Buenos Ayres ; both of them connecting also at the latter city with 
a line of English river-steamers which run up the La Plata to Ascunsion, in Para- 
guay. But these are not the only lines by which she conducts her large Brazilian and 
South American trade. Her African and Mediterranean steamers touch at Lisbon, 
which enables her to use the Luzo-Brazileira line from that city to Rio de Janeiro and 
intermediate places. Enterprising English companies are also establishing lines 
from some of the Continental cities, which are sustained by liberal subsidies. 
Some of these lines touch at Southampton, and are made subservient to British 
wants, as the following extract from The Liverpool Times, March 7, 1857, shows : — 

The managers of the new European and American Steam-Shipping Company have completed then- 
scheme for the future working of their splendid fleet. The operations of the Company will commence 
with the departure of the Golden Fleece for Lisbon and the Brazils, leaving Hamburg on the 20th 
of April, and Southampton on the 24th. This ship will run in conjunction with the Hamburg and 
Brazilian Company's steamships Teutonia and Petropolis, forming a monthly line, for the transmis- 
sion of passengers, specie, and cargo, from Hamburg and Southampton to Lisbon, Pernambuco, Bahia, 
and Rio de Janeiro, and vice versd. The trade with the Brazils will be further augmented by the 
establishment of a new line of steamships between Antwerp and the same ports, also calling at 



Appendix II. 



Oil 



Southampton each way, — the first vessel on this line being the Hydaspes, which is to leave Antwerp on 
the 30th of May, and Southampton on the 4th of June. 'When these two lines are in full working-order, 
there will be three steamers a month from Southampton to the Brazils, — viz.: The Royal Mail Com- 
pany^ steamer on the 9th. the Antwerp steamer on the 4th, and the Hamburg steamer on the 24th. 
The second branch of the new Company's operations embraces the extension of the traffic with New 
York via Southampton. This line will be opened by the Queen of the South leaving Bremen on the 
25th of April, and Southampton on the 29th. 

There are eight monthly lines of steamers now running between Europe and 
Brazil and La Plata, affording semi-weekly communication, and so arranged that 
Great Britain uses nearly all of them for the prosecution and monopoly of the 
large trade of Northern and Eastern South America. We have seen that mail- 
steamers cannot be run without some extraneous aid. If this be true, and if the 
Europeans have eight lines, while we cannot have one until the Government of the 
United States comes to the rescue, how are the enterprising — the almost omni- 
potent — commercial men of this country to prosecute the trade which European 
energy and foresight are wresting from them? It is a known fact, that this trade 
is passing from us, or that ours has been paralyzed since Great Britain established 
her first steam-line in 1850; while, in five years since that time, hers has increased 
two hundred and twenty-five per cent. ; whereas for the ten years preceding the esta- 
blishment of that line it did not advance one dollar. (See Report, House of Repre- 
sentatives, XXXIV. Congress, 3d Session, No. 261, hereunto appended.) 

Our commerce with the West Indies and Brazil, and all the northern and eastern 
portions of South America which would be reached by the steam-line which we 
propose, is already very large, as the tables which follow will show ; but that 
commerce is now only in its infancy. It constitutes the largest and the last unde- 
veloped field of trade now left open to the industry and enterprise of man ; and, 
as the many million acres of its fertile lands become filled with an active and pro- 
ductive population, its resources and its wants will both expand into a commerce 
such as has never yet been seen in any part of the world or in any age. It will 
be, moreover, a commerce peculiar to the Western Continent, peculiarly our own, 
where the demand and supply, found side by side, will make the interchange 
natural, easy, and cheap. With such a commerce, thus situated, this continent 
can rely upon itself alone, without being forced to look to any portion of the 
Eastern Hemisphere for either a market or supplies. 

With such a prospect for the material development of those vast regions which 
lie at our southern door and beckon us on to the peaceful conquests of trade, there 
can be no doubt as to the policy which the Government of this country should 
pursue. We feed nearly the whole of Brazil, Venezuela, New Granada, and the 
many West India Islands, and the Guianas. We send to them large quantities 
of the products of the Mississippi, Ohio, and Missouri Valleys, as well as of the 
whole Atlantic and Gulf seaboard. In return, we are becoming almost dependent 
on Brazil and Venezuela for our coffee, chocolate, rubber, hides, and many other 
articles, and on the West Indies and the Guianas for sugar, molasses, rum, and an 
infinite variety of less known but not less important articles. The two halves 
of the continent are becoming indispensably essential to each other. The policy 
of the one necessarily affects the other in every thing ; and these conditions, which 
are becoming stronger and more apparent from year to year, demand of us an 
entire change in the inert and indifferent policy which we have so long pursued 
toward South American countries. Political influences, which we have hitherto 
despised, are now becoming manifestly indispensable to the safe and certain con- 
tinuance of material interests ; and wise, liberal, and continuous diplomacy, with 



612 



Appendix H. 



a forecasting policy settled and pursued for years and even generations, must now 
provide those enduring bases of better understandings, of deeper sympathies, 
of less divided interests and more concerted and continental policy, which are so 
essential to our international well-being, and particularly to that large commerce 
which must always be controlled by the United States. 

Most important among these countries is the young, stable, and rich empire 
of Brazil. Possessing the best Government in South America, she. has become the 
most prosperous of all the countries of the Southern Hemisphere. She produces 
in great abundance many of the most important staples of the world, such as 
coffee, sugar, cotton, tobacco, rice, &c, and is becoming greatly enriched from them. 
In some of these, Brazil competes largely with the United States in the European 
market, especially in cotton and tobacco. And it is a singular fact, just here, 
that the Southern planter or merchant gets his intelligence concerning the progress 
of these crops in Brazil only through Europe, and that generally after the Brazilian 
crop is sold and the American crop taken up ; whereas, with the proper steam-mail 
facilities, it would be easy for the American producer and dealer to know the con- 
dition of the Brazilian crop many days earlier than it could be known in Europe, 
and use all the advantages consequent upon such earlier intelligence. These pro- 
ductions are now in their infancy in Brazil ; but as the river and coast navigation 
is extended, and as the numerous railroads are pushed to the interior, the pro- 
duction will increase in a rapid ratio, and thus add largely to a commerce which 
the United States could and should control. 

The population of Brazil is gradually increasing. Immigration from Southern 
Europe has, since the abolition of the slave-trade in 1850, been constantly encou- 
raged by liberal grants from the imperial and provincial treasuries for defraying 
the expense of passage between Europe and Brazil. This immigration is indispen- 
sable to supply the want of labor, which, previous to 1850, was supplied by the 
constant influx of slaves from Africa. Brazil, having now most heartily abandoned 
the slave-trade in fact and principle, finds that the labor of white colonists, so far 
from being unable to supply the demands of the country, is really largely increasing 
its production, and adding more rapidly to the permanent wealth. I think that 
the experiences of the past five years have so thoroughly satisfied the Brazilians 
with the change, that they not only greatly prefer the new system, but could not 
be induced to countenance the revival of the African slave-trade. As an evidence 
of this fact, the slaver " Mary E. Smith," taken in January, 1856, into Bahia, had 
touched at five places along the coast previous to detection, but had not succeeded 
in selling a single slave. 

The population of the provinces and of the empire, according to returns published 
by the Government in 1856, is as follows : — 



Provinces. Pop. 

Minas Geraes 1,300,000 

Rio de Janeiro 1,200,000 

Bahia 1,100,000 

Pernambuco 950,000 

Sao Paulo 500,000 

Ceara 385,500 

Maranhao 360,000 

Parahyba 209,300 

Para 207,400 

Alag6as 204,200 

Sao Pedro 201,300 



Provinces. Pop. 

Rio Grande do Norte 190,000 

Sergipe 183,600 

Goyaz 180,000 

Piauhy 150,400 

Santa Catharina 105,000 

Mato-Grosso 85,000 

Parana 72,400 

Espirito Santo 51,300 

Amazonas 42,600 



Population of Brazil. 



7,678,000 



Appendix H. 



613 



[For want of space the tables have been omitted ; but the following carefully-prepared Analyses, 
together with the table furnished by M. le Chevalier d'Aguiar, (Appendix G,) will in a measure supply 
their place.— J. C. F.] 

ANALYSES OF TABLES. 

The following tables — very carefully compiled, after a laborious investigation of 
several works, from a large number of Parliamentary Reports, Relatorios, or Ex- 
ports, of the Prime Minister of Brazil, the late Marquis of Parana, the volumes of 
" Commerce and Navigation of the United States," a large number of tables fur- 
nished me by public officers and private gentlemen, as also from many documents 
collected and compiled by myself in this country, South America, and the West Indies, 
— will present, in all necessary detail as well as combination, the past and present 
trade of Brazil with all nations, and more particularly with the United States and 
Great Britain, which constitute the two most important competitors. I shall present 
analyses and generalizations of a few of the more important of these only, for the 
purpose of gaining a clear and more distinct summary view of our most important 
relations with Brazil ; leaving to individual investigation those more minute gene- 
ralizations which these tables so clearly indicate and suggest. 

The currency, weights, and measures employed in this paper, not being reduced 
to either the United States or British standard, require particular notice before 
proceeding to the tables themselves. The milreis (one thousand reis) is composed 
of one thousand parts of the very small denomination called real, (the Portuguese 
word for royal.) The milreis is equal to 21 d. @ 21\d. sterling exchange in Brazil: 
2 mil. == bid. One dollar, exchange at $4.44 to the pound sterling, = 4s. Qd. = 
54d, by which the dollar is equal to two milreis. But this is selling the milreis too 
low, as it is based on two reductions for exchange. One dollar, in all parts of 
Brazil, sells for 1800 reis; so that, for all practical purposes, we may call the 
milreis fifty-five cents. Thus it will be easy to convert the Brazilian into United 
States currency. The Arroba is equal to 32 lbs. Five arrobas of coffee make one 
sack, of 160 lbs. The Alqueire is equal to .998 of one bushel, and hence is 
called one bushel in measure. The Quintal is 129.517 lbs. ; the Medida, or Candda, 
is .703 of a wine-gallon, — about four bottles ; the Pipa, or pipe, is 126.587 gallons; 
the Marco is equal to 8 ounces, or 64 Oitavas: hence, 128 oit. = 1 lb., while 1 oit, = 
1 drachm. 

We will perceive some striking and important facts by a slight analysis of each 
of these tables separately: — 

TABLE II. shows that, while in 1849 and 1850 the average exports from 
Great Britain to Brazil were two and a half million pounds sterling annually, the 
average of 1851 and 1852 was three and a half ; an advance of forty per cent, 
during the two first years of the operation of the Royal Mail-Steam Line. There 
was a large increase in the value of the cotton and linen manufactures, but much 
larger in the woollen. The advance was one hundred and fifty per cent, in three 
years. The imports remained about stationary. This table also gives a list of the 
principal articles constituting the British imports and exports. 

TABLE V. gives our imports, exports, and navigation with Brazil for 1856, 
and with each province of the empire and each of our cities. Rio de Janeiro 
alone takes above three of our five millions exports, and furnishes us fifteen of our 
nineteen millions imports. In our exports, Pernambuco, Rio Grande do Sul, Para, 
and Bahia, follow in order of importance. In our imports, the next in order are 
Rio Grande and Para, then Pernambuco and Bahia. The two latter cities export 



614 



Appendix H. 



largely of their principal staples — cotton from Pernambuco and sugar from Bahia 
— to Great Britain and Europe generally. New York exports nearly two millions, 
Richmond over one, Baltimore one, Philadelphia and New Orleans, each, half a 
million, while Charleston exports 23,000, and Mobile and Savannah nothing. In 
imports, New York has six millions dollars, New Orleans very nearly six also, Balti- 
more three millions, Boston 944,000, Philadelphia 1,753,000, Richmond 149,000, 
Charleston 269,000, Mobile 61,000, and Savannah 25,000. 

Our commerce with Brazil for 1856, imports and exports united, was as follows, 
—New York, $7,823,599; New Orleans, $6,376,697; Baltimore, $4,271,538; 
Philadelphia, $2,861,231; Boston and Salem, $1,524,361; Richmond— which ex- 
ports 110,000 barrels of flour, value not given — imports $149,345 ; while Charleston 
imports $269,169 and exports $23,470. 

Of our aggregate Brazilian commerce for the year the Atlantic cities had 
$17,919,836; and those of the Gulf— Mobile and New Orleans— had $6,437,728, 
rather above one-third of the whole. 

Imports. — In the importation of 1856 we have arrivals of 367 vessels, with 
124,374 tons, against 87,229 tons in 1851. Of the arrivals in 1856, 113,475 are 
United States, and 10,899, or nine per cent., are foreign. In 1851, it was 63,666 
United States, and 22,428, or above twenty-three per cent., foreign. During each 
of the years from 1851 to 1855 inclusive, the import from Brazil in foreign vessels 
has continued about double any year, or the average, of previous years. 

Exports. — In 1856, there are 263 vessels ; while there were 262, with about 
twelve hundred tons more tonnage, in 1851. In 1846, we had 52,708 tons leaving 
for Brazil, and 50,735 in 1841. In 1851, of our exports to Brazil, ten and a half 
per cent, were in foreign vessels ; while, of our imports, twenty-five per cent, were 
foreign tonnage ; the value of the imports in foreign vessels being twenty-three 
per cent, of the whole. About this ratio continued to the beginning of 1855. 

TABLE VI. shows that, in importations of coffee from 1851 to 1853 and 1856, 
New Orleans stands first, New York next, and Baltimore next. In the first year 
named, Baltimore stood in advance of New York, but now imports only two- 
thirds ; New York is but little behind New Orleans, and both are rapidly increasing 
this import. The importation of coffee has increased about twenty per cent, 
annually. 

Each sack of coffee weighs five arrobas, or 160 lbs.; the arroba being 32 lbs. 
Of the total above, for 1856, 1,051,325 sacks, or 93.7 per cent, of the whole, come 
from Rio de Janeiro ; 28,473 sacks from Bahia; 15,040 sacks from Santos, in San 
Paulo ; and 31,682 sacks from other places in the empire not yet reported. 

The analysis of this table shows us that, in 1851, Baltimore had 20,649 bags 
more than New York, while New Orleans imported 38,119 more than Baltimore; 
that, in 1853, New York had 26,671 bags more than Baltimore, and New Orleans 
85,365 bags more than New York; and that, in 1856, New York had 102,844 bags 
more than Baltimore, while New Orleans had 27,872 more than New York. Also, 
that, in 1853, New York increased 12,715 bags over 1851, and, in 1856, 8,133 bags 
over 1853. In 1853, Baltimore declined 34,605 bags, and, in 1856, was yet 2,645 
bags short of 1851. New Orleans, in 1853, increased 39,312 bags, and, in 1856, 
had 50,640 more than in 1853. 

Thus, while New York has largely increased the importation of this article, it has 
greatly diminished in Baltimore. The latter city has for many years almost con- 
trolled the importation of coffee from Brazil ; but recently has lost ground in that 
trade, and submitted to its partial transfer to New York. 



Appendix II. 



615 



In the export of flour Richmond is first: then follow, in order, Baltimore, New 
York, New Orleans, Philadelphia, Boston. 

TABLE VII. shows that, in our total imports and exports to and from Brazil, 
in 1851, New York exported one million, and New Orleans one hundred thousand, 
Maryland 800,000, Massachusetts 700,000, Virginia 600,000, Pennsylvania 400,000. 
New York imported three millions, Louisiana 2,800,000, Maryland 2,700,000, Massa- 
chusetts 1,000,000, Pennsylvania 700,000, and Alabama and Georgia 26,000 and 
28,000 respectively. 

Of the sum of imports noticed in this table, the value of $8,891,582 was im- 
ported in vessels of the United States, and $2,633,722, or more than one-fourth, in 
foreign vessels, according to the returns of the custom-houses. Of the imports of 
1855, $13,500,000 were in United States vessels, and $1,716,935 in foreign. 

TABLE VIII. (not here inserted) shows a regular but very small increase in 
our shipping with Brazil from 1830 to 1856. The arrivals of foreign tonnage in 
this country from Brazil is about four times as great as the departure, owing to so 
large a quantity of the coffee received in this country being sent by foreign rather 
than American merchants, the latter being driven out of the trade by reason of the 
superior advantages enjoyed by English, Greek, and German houses in Brazil, in 
consequence of superior postal and banking facilities. After bringing coffee to 
this country, their ships return to Europe, freighted with cotton, grain, lumber, 
and provisions. 

TABLE IX. (not inserted) shows that the tonnage of all countries with Brazil 
is about stationary, her exports and imports increasing more in value than in 
quantity. 

TABLE X. gives the total imports and exports of Brazil, for each province, 
from 1840 to 1855 inclusive. In 1840, the imports commenced at fifty- two millions 
milreis, and ended, in '55, at eighty-four and a half millions. In 1840, the exports 
commenced at only forty-three millions, but ended, in 1855, at ninety and a half 
millions. Brazil has thus, within these fifteen years, shifted the balance materially 
in her own favor ; although if we take the average of the past five years, we will 
find the imports considerably exceeding the exports. This is due, however, to the 
change of her slave-system in 1850, from which she has not yet entirely recovered. 

The total imports (provinces not specified) for 1846 were 52,193,510 milreis, and 
for 1847 they were 55,740,019. 

The total exports (provinces not specified) for 1846 were 53,630,092 milreis, and 
for 1847 they were 52,449,452. 

TABLES XL and XII. (not inserted) show the total Brazilian imports and 
exports, of different articles, from 1848 to 1855. The import of cotton, wool, linen, 
silk, and mixed manufactures, and of flour, has increased very rapidly. Imports 
of iron manufactures and coin have also gone up rapidly. The value of coffee ex- 
ported has increased more than one hundred per cent, since 1848 and 1849. Sugar 
has remained stationary ; cotton also; also hides. Cacao* has also remained sta- 
tionary, and rum has advanced slightly ; while the exports of India-rubber have, 
during the eight years, advanced seven hundred per cent. We formerly monopolized 



* Cacdo is the bean from which chocolate is made. It is pronounced, in the Portuguese, l ali-low. It 
is improperly called cocoa in commerce, and cannot be distinguished in name, except by explanation, 
from the cocoanut. There is also the coed, producing leaves of a stimulating property, which the 
Indians of Peru spread with lime, and chew. They sustain the body, day after day. without food, 
under great fatigues. The spelling and pronunciation of the three names alike cause much unneces- 
sary confusion. 



616 



Appendix H. 



this import and the manufacture of rubber; but both England and France now 
import and manufacture it very largely. 

TABLE XIIL, where the Brazilian imports and exports of 1855 are compared 
with two periods,— 1st, from 1815 to 1819; and, 2d, from 1850 to 1851,— with the 
percentage of increase and decrease, shows us that, for the first period, rum, 
coffee, diamonds, smoking-tobacco, rubber, erva mate, and sarsaparilla, advanced 
very rapidly, and that, in the second period, all the same articles, except mate and 
sarsaparilla, maintained this advance. In the imports, for the first period, every 
article, without exception, advanced, — cotton, silk, and iron manufactures, moneys, 
drugs, coal, arms, shoes, meats, codfish, powder, and earthenware particularly. 
The same advance, though at a lower figure, continued through the second period, 
except in linens, moneys. &c. This table gives a clear view of the progress of trade 
in every important article. 

TABLE XIV. shows the total imports and exports, separate and united, in three 
separate periods, and in 1855, running from 1811. 

TABLE XV. gives the value of the various products exported by each province 
for 1855. We see that the relative value of each province is sustained. Rio has 
fifty-six percent.; Bahia, thirteen; Pernambuco, eleven ; Para, five and a half ; 
and Rio Grande do Sul. four and a half. 

TABLE XVII. gives total Brazilian exports in 1855, and also in 1815, to each 
foreign country. The analysis shows the percentage of this trade pertaining to 
each country for 1851 and 1855, — also for 1815, — and, in addition, the rate per 
cent, of advance and decline from 1815 to 1855. 

TABLE XVIII. exhibits the trade of the port of Para, from 1851 to 1855, and 
the shipping for 1855. The imports appear to have doubled in the two and a half 
years to 1855. The value here given is the very minimum price on which the 
duties are charged by the custom-house: the sum is probably thirty-three per cent, 
too low. So with exports. They declined in 1852, advanced twenty per cent, in 
1853. more than doubled in 1851, and again slightly declined in 1855. The yield 
of the revenue steadily increased, as it has throughout all Brazil. Of the 23,335 
tons entered. Liverpool has 1,979, and Xew York 3,744. Cleared, — Liverpool, 3,971; 
Xew York, 1,193. Para is nearly twice as far from Great Britain as from the 
United States ; yet the British furnish nearly all the manufactured goods, and, to 
accommodate them, make, in Manchester, vast quantities of "Lowell Drills." The 
reasons for ail this are very obvious to every reflecting mind. 

TABLE XX. (not given) presents an elaborate view of the India-rubber trade 
from 1837 to 1856 inclusive. Xew York and Salem have imported more than any 
cities in the world. The imports to this country have declined since 1851; but those 
of Great Britain have largely and steadily increased since 1850. 

TABLE XXI. gives the revenues of Brazil from 1837 to 1855, which we will see 
are in a most flourishing condition. — the income, for a few years past, exceeding 
the expenditure. In 1837, the revenue was thirteen million milreis; in 1813, it 
was eighteen millions ; and, in 1856, thirty-six millions. 

It also exhibits the state of the Public. Foreign, and Domestic Debt, which is 
gradually decreasing, and which in 1855 amounted to only £12,581,700. (See 
Table for analysis, also for Paper-Money and Coinage.) This Table presents the 
Brazilian Empire as one of the most prosperous countries in the world; while the 
condition of its finances will compare favorably with that of nations arrogating 
far more than Brazil. 



Appendix II. 



617 



TABLES III. and IV. show our Brazilian imports and exports minutely from 
1826 to 1856. Our total exports have doubled since 1843, — in thirteen years ; 
those of Great Britain have doubled since 1850, — or in five years. Our imports have 
trebled since 1843, and doubled in the seven years since 1849. In the same seven 
years the British imports have more than doubled ; but this consisted mostly of 
coffee, for reshipment. The proper analysis of these two tables would require 
hours of close attention. I have given the total imports — the quantity, value, and 
price — of coffee ; total Brazilian exports of coffee ; total imports from all countries, 
value, consumption, and re-exportation of same for thirty years ; and the imports 
of sugar, cacao, molasses, hides, and wool, from Brazil for the same period. Our 
imports from Brazil commenced at two million dollars in 1826, and gradually 
ascended to nineteen millions in 1856. The large import of the present year is, 
however, due to the scarcity of coffee in other countries than Brazil. 

I have given also the total exports for thirty years, which have ascended also 
gradually, and in almost an arithmetical ratio for all periods alike, from two mil- 
lions in 1826 to five millions in 1856. Distinction is made between United States 
and foreign products exported. I give also the quantity and value of flour, the 
value of cotton manufactures, (which are rapidly declining,) and the quantities of 
fish, fish-oil, candles, soap, beef and pork, butter and cheese, hams and lard, and 
powder. There is no increase in the shipment of foreign products. The European 
nations now take good care of that themselves. The only article permanently ad- 
vancing is flour, and this in value rather than quantity. 

The quantity of our flour shipped to Brazil has not materially changed since 
1851. The average quantity, from 1854 to 1856 inclusive, is considerably less 
than from 1851 and 1853 inclusive. It was less in 1856 than in 1853 ; yet the value 
in 1856 was nearly twice as great as in 1853. In 1856, it constituted nearly four- 
fifths of our exports to Brazil ; previous to that year it had averaged rather above 
one-half the value of those exports. From 1840 to 1850, our exports of flour to 
Brazil went up from about one hundred and fifty thousand barrels to about three 
hundred thousand ; the value increasing from one million to nearly two millions 
dollars annually. Since 1850, the quantity of flour has declined gradually, 
although the aggregate value for the same six years has increased about thirty per 
cent. European vessels take Trieste and other European flour to Brazil, thence a 
cargo of coffee to New Orleans or other Southern ports, and return to Europe with 
a cargo of cotton, provisions, or lumber. They sell their flour, employ their 
shipping, despoil the American producer and ship-owner, and make an excellent 
round transaction of it, because they have such speedy communication with Brazil 
as to give them the control of her markets, both of demand and supply. These 
facts demand particular attention. 

TABLE I. exhibits the British trade with Brazil, giving the total exports from 
1821 to 1855, and cotton, linen, and woollen manufactures separately from 1827 to 
1855; also the total imports from Brazil from 1840 to 1855, and of coffee from 
1830 to 1855; also the tonnage from 1821 to 1854. The tonnage for the last three 
years is in Brazilian measurement, which makes the tonnage of a vessel something 
larger than that of the United States. The Brazilian exports for the three last 
years are also taken from the Brazilian financial reports. All other matter in the 
Table is taken from the Annual Parliamentary Reports of Great Britain on Commerce 
and Navigation; — accessible in this country, so far as I know, only in the Astor 
Library and that of Congress. They have been annotated and revised with great 
care. The British imports of coffee, up to 1852, were nominal; and, even now, 



618 



Appendix H. 



Great Britain enters very little for home consumption, engaging in the trade simply 
because she has much greater facilities than we have for its conduct. We imported 
less coffee in 1854 and 1855 than in 1852 ; but Great Britain went from three mil- 
lion lbs. in 1852 to fifty-two millions in 1853, fifty-nine millions in 1854, and one 
hundred and twelve millions in 1855. 

From 1840 to 1850 her total imports from Brazil made no increase. In 1853, 
they had advanced one hundred and fifty per cent, on 1848; and, in 1855, they had 
advanced over 1848, — or, the average of the ten years noticed, — about three hundred 
per cent. This, however, it must be recollected, was in coffee, for re-exportation ; 
a trade which was lost to our merchants and to our shipping. Her total exports 
to Brazil from 1840 to 1850 were stationary at about two and a half million 
pounds sterling annually. In 1851, — the first year after steam by the Koyal Mail 
Company, — they advanced forty per cent.; and, in 1854, they had advanced one 
hundred and two per cent, on 1850. Thus, her exports have doubled in five years, 
from a stationary point before the establishment of steam mail facilities ; whereas 
ours have been thirteen years in making the same increase. The total trade 
between Brazil and Great Britain has increased in an unprecedented ratio. The 
combined British imports and exports, up to 1850, averaged £3,645.833 annually; 
but, in 1855, these had reached £8,162,455. Thus, the British trade increased two 
hundred and twenty-five per cent, in five years after the first line of steamers was esta- 
blished to Brazil. 

In this connection, TABLE XYII. shows that Brazil imports from Great Britain 
fifty-four per cent., France twelve, United States eight and a quarter, (which, in 
1845, was ten, Portugal nearly ten, Hanse Towns nearly six, and La Plata five per 
cent, of the whole. From 1845 to 1855, the imports from Great Britain increased 
forty-nine per cent., France thirty-four. United States twenty-one, Portugal forty- 
two, Hanse Towns seventy-eight, River Plate one hundred and forty-seven, Bel- 
gium one hundred. (Belgium, Portugal, Sardinia, and Hamburg now have, each, a 
line of steamers, and England and France two lines each,) Chili twelve hundred and 
twenty, Sardinia one hundred and thirty-three per cent. For the same period, 
the increase of Brazilian exports is, — to Great Britain one hundred and fifty-eight 
per cent., United States one hundred and fifty-nine, France two hundred and 
thirty-five, Portugal eight, Hanse Towns thirty-seven, Rio Plata seventy-one, Bel- 
gium sixty-eight, Chili nine hundred and twenty, and Spain twenty-six per cent. 

I say but little of the British imports from Brazil, as nearly all of the cotton and 
sugar go to Great Britain and other European countries. These being the staples 
of Bahia accounts for our limited trade with that rich province. Coffee, particu- 
larly, and tobacco, are, however, likely to supersede these articles in a few years; 
a change for which we should be prepared. 

The production of Brazilian coffee, notwithstanding the abolition of the slave- 
trade, has largely increased, as the tables will show. In 1855, the production ex- 
ceeded that of any year previous to 1850 by about four million arrobas. 

Our exports of flour have gradually increased. They will become much larger 
with the increasing population of Brazil, and especially when the four great rail- 
roads to the interior, one from Pernambuco, one from Bahia, and two from Rio de 
Janeiro, are opened ; these railroads directing the attention of a population, now 
idle and indigent, to the production of coffee, sugar, tobacco, and rum, for export, 
with the corresponding necessity of imported breadstuffs, as well as manufactures. 
The Mississippi Valley will, in a few years, share largely in this provision-trade, in 
exchange for coffee. 



Appendix H. 



019 



We see, from a generalization and combination of these tables and analyses, that 
our great advance in the Brazilian trade has arisen from imports instead of ex- 
ports; whereas the trade of Great Britain has advanced in both; and particularly 
in her exports, which were already large; the tendency being to enrich Great 
Britain and to impoverish us: that until 1850 her exports were stationary, while 
ours were increasing ; due, doubtless, to the superiority of our clipper-ships at 
that period, which placed us much nearer than England to Brazil: that she is now 
taking the coffee-trade away from us, and giving it to her own and other European 
merchants and shipping : that she is rivalling us in the rubber-trade; wholly dis- 
tancing us in that of manufactures: and that from 1850 to 1855 she has doubled 
a large trade of profitable exports, and increased her aggregate imports and 
exports two hundred and twenty-five per cent.; whereas it has taken us thirteen 
years to double a small trade, composed mostly of imports: it being evident 
that, with equal facilities, we could outstrip Great Britain in nearly all the 
elements of this Brazil trade, as we were doing for the ten years from 1840 
to 1850. 

It will hardly be necessary to suggest to the wise and reflecting merchant or 
statesman the evident causes producing this startling effect. It is the effect of 
steamship mail and passenger facilities, so well understood by the wise and fore- 
casting British statesmen who established the Southampton, Brazil, and La Plata 
lines ; not as a means of giving revenue to the General Post-Office, but of en- 
couraging foreign trade and stimulating British industry. If England by steam 
has overtaken and neutralized our clippers and embarrassed our trade, then we 
have only to employ the same agent, and, from geographical advantages, we feel 
assured that we will soon surpass her as certainly, and even more effectually, than 
she has us. She sweeps our seas, and we offer her no resistance or competition. 
Not satisfied with the Royal Mail-lines, it is reported that she is making a contract 
with Mr. Cunard to run another line along by the side of the Royal Mail, from 
Liverpool to Aspinwall, and from Panama to the East Indies and China. She 
gains in these seas an invaluable trade, because she employs the proper means for 
its attainment and promotion, while we do not. Hence, although much farther 
off she is practically much nearer. Suppose that Great Britain had no steamers to 
the great sea at her threshold, the Mediterranean ; and we had the enterprise to 
run a great trunk-line to Gibraltar and Malta, and nine branches from these ter- 
mini to all the great points of commerce in Mediterranean Europe, Asia, and 
Africa. Would we not soon command the trade of all Southern Europe, of Western 
Asia, and of Africa? But we find her wisely occupying her own territory, and 
that it is impossible for us to get possession. If we had been there, she would 
soon have given us competition. But Great Britain did not wait for com- 
petition to urge her to her duty to her people. She could easily have continued 
the trade already possessed ; but she could enlarge and invigorate it by steam, 
and she did it : not from outside pressure, but for the advantages which it 
always presents per se. For the same reason we should have established steam to 
the West Indies, Brazil, the Spanish Main, and La Plata long since; to foster a 
trade naturally ours, but practically another's. It is pre-eminently necessary now 
when steam, under the system of Great Britain, is ruining our trade; whereas, by 
a similar process, we could re-establish ours, if not paralyze theirs. Neutrality is 
impossible. Indifference to the present posture of affairs only leads to the ruin 
of our interests. We must advance and contend with Great Britain and Europe 
step by step, and employ the means of which we are generally so boastful, or we 



620 



Appendix H. 



will be forced to retreat from the field, and be harassed into ignominious sub- 
mission. 

I have been cheered, from the conception of this enterprise, in 1853, until the 
present time, by the prospect of seeing North and South America linked in a closer 
bond of fraternity and commerce, and the last great field of commercial enterprise 
and industry, since the occupation of the East Indies and Asia by Great Britain, 
kept open to my countrymen, and cultivated for the interests of the Western Conti- 
nent. We have many reasons to hope that the Government of the United States, 
so just to the people, to their enterprise, and to their industry, is now about to 
realize that conception, and give to Americans the means of reaping, in those 
regions, a rich harvest of wealth and power. 

Of the gentlemen with whom I have the honor to be associated in this enter- 
prise it does not become me here to speak. It suffices that we have all deemed it 
essential that none but those among the most eminent, practical, vigorous, and 
experienced of the steamshipmen in this country should be engaged in the work 
that we have undertaken. It is only by their enlightened enterprise, their pene- 
trating forecast, and their public spirit, combined with the favorable disposition 
of the Government of the United States, that I have thus far been encouraged in 
believing that all of our efforts would be ultimately, and at an early day, crowned 
with entire success. The two committees of the Senate and House of Representa- 
tives at the last session of Congress reported, with great unanimity, a joint "Bill" 
for the establishment of the line. But it was found impossible to reach this bill at 
the short session, and no action was taken on the subject. 

The distance, direct, between the United States and this rich empire is only 
three thousand miles. Steamers can easily make the run within twelve days to 
the mouth of the Amazon. The distance to the West Indies, and the Guianas, and 
the Spanish Main, is from thirteen hundred to twenty-two hundred miles ; yet our 
large and important correspondence with all of these countries passes by way of 
England or the Continent, a distance of eight to ten thousand miles ; the letters 
never arriving at their destination under forty-five days, and being frequently kept 
sixty days on the passage. There are three rates of postage: — from this country 
to Europe, across England or the Continent, and thence to Brazil. If these letters 
are destined to Para, or any part of the northern coast west of Pernambuco, they 
pay yet another rate, by the Brazilian line. These three or four postal charges 
amount to as much as three or four times the rate which would be charged by both 
the United States and Brazilian lines, which would deliver the letters in Bio de 
Janeiro in twenty-two days with inevitable certainty, and not subject them to the 
long transit and the selfish foreign arrangements which now embarrass such corre- 
spondence. Letters would also reach the West Indies in four to seven days, at a 
nominal cost. They now go by uncertain sailing-vessels. I have said, in my me- 
morial to Congress, that 

"It is a notorious fact, susceptible of abundant proof in the State, Treasury, 
and Naval Departments, that the despatches sent by our Government to, or re- 
ceived from, the ministers, consuls, commodores, captains, and agents in those 
countries, seldom come to hand under four months, sometimes six, and that they 
are not unfrequently lost altogether, or opened and destroyed. We have no 
clipper-ships engaged in any part of this trade, and but rarely hear of a short 
passage. And sailing-vessels being run for private purposes are at best supposed 
to serve their private interests first, and those of the public next, or never, as 
policy or the pursuit of profit may dictate expedient; so that it would be sheer 



Appendix H. 



021 



folly to suppose that sailing-vessels could ever accommodate the large corre- 
spondence of commerce and the Government, much less furnish the rapid trans- 
port, without which we become a prey to the nations more energetic and fur-seeing 
than ourselves. 

" By means of this line, letters and passengers could reach Rio de Janeiro in 
twenty-two to twenty-five days, stopping at fourteen of the prominent commercial 
points of the world ; whereas, the time now generally required by sailing-vessels 
is forty-five to sixty days. This would bring that great capital nearer to us than 
it now is to England and France, as the line from the United States, including all of 
the deflections to reach the ports named, is shorter by five to six hundred miles than 
that of the English steamers, while we have the advantage of better seas. We 
would then have the advantage of four to six days over Europe ; as their steamers 
transport immense cargoes, and require generally twenty-six to twenty-eight days 
for the passage. It is believed, moreover, that the Brazilian Government will have 
the time between Para, and Rio reduced to eight days ; in which event the time 
between New York or Savannah and Rio would be from nineteen to twenty days, 
and to the La Plata twenty-five. 

" There are other very weighty considerations influencing this question. Saying 
nothing about that immense trade to which we are naturally entitled, and which 
has been swept away from us in consequence of the superior energy and foresight 
of England, this line would give to our Government some control of its diplomacy 
in South America, and enable our country to derive some practical benefits from 
our Brazilian and Gulf squadrons. As we are now situated, our vast commerce 
in and around South America might be swept from the seas four times over 
before the intelligence of a declaration of war would necessarily reach those ports, 
or the large squadron kept in them. Our diplomacy has always suffered in Brazil 
and her sister States the most untoward inconveniences. We have not cultivated 
with those people the intimate and close relations due to the large interests in- 
volved. We have certainly neglected the first duty of good neighborhood, in 
failing to establish steamship-lines to them, and have at times, in effect, almost 
ignored their very existence. The consequence is, that we have not a particle 
of influence among them, and permit England and France to occupy the place 
that nature designed for us. As an instance of this, we have no treaty with 
Brazil, and have been almost frustrated in our endeavors to cultivate the ordinary 
national civilities with the La Plata Republics. There are above one hundred 
steamships on the coast of Brazil and the La Plata to-day, in their merchant and 
naval service, varying from five hundred to seventeen hundred tons each, of 
which but two were built in the United States. Yet all Brazilians confess that our 
engineering and ship-building are superior to those of the whole world, and say 
that if they 'were in the way of doing business with us,' if they 'could get to 
us and ever return home,' or if they could 'arrange their exchanges except 
through London,' they would gladly turn to those whom nature has made their 
powerful neighbors and perhaps only true friends. 

"The necessity of this steam-communication has long been urged by a multi- 
tude of interests and by all enterprising men, whether among us at home, 
throughout the West India Islands and the countries along the Caribbean Sea, or 
in Brazil and the republics lying on the La Plata. The desire for the line is 
everywhere profound and pervading; but it is not deeper or more widely spread 
among the friends of America and American enterprise and institutions, than is 
the determination of the British Government and British capitalists to offer every 



622 



Appendix H. 



conceivable facility of transport and correspondence to those regions by way of 
England and English steamers, and to repress, if possible, any awakening among 
our people to their real and true rights and to their safest policy. It was to this 
end that the line was established between Southampton and Rio, and a large bonus 
for ten years granted to the Company for establishing it. So, also, with the 
Cunard line, whose steamers formerly ran monthly from St. Thomas and Bermuda 
to New York. It was found that they afforded too much accommodation to American 
interests. The line changed, and the steamers now run monthly from those islands 
to Halifax, in Nova Scotia. It is thus seen that these British lines sweep closely 
around the American coast, but never touch it, except at the extreme north or 
south, where it is not likely that their steamers can serve our people. Yet, so far 
from having competing enterprises, we have scarcely any at all. We hear very 
much said of the intention of the British Government to discontinue the policy of 
subsidizing steamship-lines ; yet we never witness the fact. On the contrary, that 
country is not only creating new lines every year, but, while warmest in these 
professions, very recently renewed the contract with the ' Royal Mail Company' for 
ten years, increasing the sum to nearly six million dollars annually, and establish- 
ing two new lines. 

"It appears strange that the United States, so near to Brazil, so enterprising in 
steam, and so eager to share the profits of foreign trade in all places and with all 
nations, should have no steam-communications with the countries named ; while 
European nations of much less note and with far less commerce than our country, 
are subsidizing regular lines of large and costly steamers. Nor have these lines 
been fruitless. They have given thus far to them a very undue voice in the affairs 
of South America and the West Indies, and a control of the trade that proves very 
disastrous to American interests generally. They have diverted a large part of a 
trade naturally belonging to us." 

Before proceeding to the analysis of the Commercial Tables I will remark to 
the Society that Savannah, in Georgia, is for all practical purposes the terminus 
for our proposed Brazilian line. Although it is but a few miles nearer than New 
York to the mouth of the Amazon, and cannot be made a profitable terminus for a 
line, in a commercial point of view, yet the steamers, by receiving and delivering 
their mails at Savannah, will accommodate the whole commercial public much 
better than at New York. Delivered at New York, they would be easily distributed 
to the Atlantic seaboard ; but they would accommodate these Atlantic cities only. 
Distributed at Savannah, the letters would within a few hours of the same time 
reach Mobile, New Orleans, Memphis, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Louisville, Richmond, 
Baltimore, and Philadelphia. The steamer would proceed to New York only to 
accommodate her passengers, by making European connections, and for her light 
freights. It is due to the South, that these steamers should touch at Savannah, 
and that the Gulf seaboard might share equally any advantages growing out of 
the mail-facilities established. New Orleans imports more coffee than any other 
city in the United States; and, in connection with Mobile and other Southern 
cities, have an enormous supply-trade with all of the countries to which our line 
extends. I refer the Society to the report on this subject, made at the late 
session of Congress to the House of Representatives, for many important facts 
bearing on this question. 



Appendix I. 



The following able Report, from late Congressional documents, presents a lucid 
view of the condition of our commerce, and the want of steam-mails. It was 
made, at the last session of Congress, to the House of Representatives, but for 
want of time was not acted upon. 



Mr. Flagler, from the Committee on the Post-Office and Post-Roads, made the 
following Report. 

The Committee on the Post-Office and Post-Roads, to whom were referred the petition and memorial of 
Robert M. Stratton, Samuel L. Mitchill, William H. Webb, and Thomas Rainey, praying for a contract 
for the transportation of the mails between tlie United States and Brazil, via the West India Islands, 
beg leave to report: 

That they have had the subject under careful and detailed examination, and recommend that the 
prayer of the petitioners be granted. The committee have come to the following conclusions : — 

1st. That the service proposed will afford rapid, regular, and reliable steamship mail and passenger 
facilities, each way monthly, to one of the largest and most profitable fields of American commerce, 
where our trade, if properly fostered, must continue to increase and expand for many generations. 

2d. That this trade now greatly suffers for the want of the mail-facilities proposed, and especially 
from the great advantages secured to most of the European nations by the steamship mail-lines which 
they employ in the same trade. 

3d. That the service is desirable, both commercially and politically : and, being national in its scope 
and character, is calculated to benefit equally all portions of this country, whether in production, con- 
sumption, or manufactures. 

•4th. That the line proposed combines, in a remarkable degree, the important interests of an unusually 
large field of commerce, by making several important connections with other steamship-lines, which 
thus become tributary to the American line, and obviate the necessarily large expenditures which would 
otherwise be necessary to create the extensive mail-facilities desired. 

5th. That the income from postages would be large and increasing, to say nothing of the probable 
large increase in customs-duties. 

6th. That the sum required for the transport of the mails over a line three thousand nine hundred 
and sixty miles long is reasonable, and as small as could be expected for efficient service by responsible 
and experienced parties ; [this sum is glSO.OOO annually] and, 

7th. That the petitioners, practical steamshipmen, known to the country, are fully competent to 
execute faithfully the service which they propose. 

Tour committee deem it a duty, in the presentation of these results, to give some of the facts and 
representations on which they have relied. The memorialists propose making a passage each way in 
every month, in first-class steamships, between the cities of New York and Savannah, in the United 
States, and Para, or Maranham, in Brazil, touching at the islands of St. Thomas and Barbados, and at 
Deinerara, and perhaps other places. 

The line contemplated is but one essential link in the long chain of communication between North 
and South America, and which, extending from the head-waters of the Amazon and La Plata Rivers 
embraces all of South America east of the Cordilleras and Andes, and from New Granada, on the north, 
to Patagonia, on the south. It commences in Xew York, and ends in Para, on the Amazon River, in 
Brazil. The steamers would touch first, probably, at the Spanish island of Porto Rico, and next at the 
Danish island, St. Thomas, where they would connect with ten distinct steamship-liues of the English 
Royal Mall Company (all semi-monthly) to Southampton, to Havana, to Aspinwall. to San Juan, to 
Mexico, to Jamaica, to Barbados, with all the Windward English and French islands, to Deinerara, 

623 



624 



Appendix I. 



Dutch and Trench Guiana, and to the Spanish Main : and also with the Venezuelan mail-line, under 
the patronage of Venezuela, to Laguayra ; these being sailing-packets. After making this important 
mail and passenger connection at St. Thomas, the steamer would proceed to Barbados, to Demerara, in 
British Guiana, probably to Cayenne, in French Guiana, and to Para, in Brazil. Para is a city of 20.000 
inhabitants, situated just south of the equator, at the mouth of the great Amazon, and is the capital of 
that immense region known as the Amazon Valley. It is the terminus of the six steam-lines which 
navigate the Amazon, the Bio Negro, the Madeira, and the Tocantins Rivers, into Venezuela, New 
Granada, Ecuador, Peru, Bolivia, and all Interior Brazil. It is also the terminus of the Brazilian Govern- 
mental line, on which the best class of steamers run semi-monthly, and with great regularity, the whole 
four thousand miles from the Amazon to the La Plata, along the coast of Brazil, touching at all of the 
northern and eastern provinces and capitals of the empire. These steamers touch at Maranham, 35,000 
population; Ceara, 12,000; Parahiba, 12,000 ; Rio Grande do Norte, 10,000 ; Pernambuco, 80,000 ; Maceio, 
6,000; Bahia, 130,000 ; Bio de Janeiro, 395,000 ; St. Catherine's, 12,000 ; Rio Grande do Sul, 14,000 ; 
Montevideo, 85,000 ; and Buenos Ayres, 200,000. 

Beside this imperial line, to which the Brazilian Government gives about $340,000 annually, and which 
has nine steamers, varying from 700 to 1100 tons each, (English build,) a line of propellers, of 850 tons 
each, (English build also,) runs semi-monthly from Maceio to Ceara, with an annual bonus from the 
Government of $146,000. There are also three companies running steamers of 500 to 700 tons (English 
build) between the various cities along the coast, sustained by a large local business and a joint bonus 
from the provinces and the empire. There are, beyond this, eight European lines, whose steamers touch 
at Pernambuco and Bahia, on their way to Rio ; while from the latter place there are also two English 
as well as the Brazilian, Genoese, and French lines to the La Plata and Buenos Ayres. 

This comparatively short line between New York and Para, it will be thus seen, accommodates our 
interests with all of the West Indies from Puerto Rico, around the Caribbean Sea, to the Windward 
Islands ; the Spanish Main to Venezuela and New Granada, through a line already running west from 
British Guiana ; the interior of Venezuela and New Granada to Angostura and Bogota by the steamers 
of the "Orinoco Navigation Company;" the republics of Ecuador, Peru, and Bolivia, by the imperial 
mail-lines of the Amazon; all Eastern and Central Brazil, after passing the three Guianas; the whole 
coast from Para to Montevideo and Buenos Ayres ; and Uruguay, the Argentine Republic, and Paraguay, 
by the Brazilian, English, and Paraguayan lines already established on the La Plata and the Parana. 
The Government and commerce would consequently have the benefit not only of the appropriate naviga- 
tion of three thousand nine hundred and sixty miles among so many interesting points, with the con- 
centrated English lines at St. Thomas, but would benefit by the correspondence and travel of nearly six 
thousand miles of coast-navigation around South America, and of five thousand five hundred miles 
along the rivers named. 

Your committee feel satisfied that the combined trade of these regions, although in its infancy, and 
by no means so large or profitable as it could be made by proper steam mail and passenger connections, 
is yet of an importance and value in its results to our country that will hardly be realized by those who 
have not particularly investigated it. We bring from them a large number of the most staple and 
valuable articles of commerce, such as are wholly indispensable to the United States, and send to them 
many of the most staple and valuable products of our agriculture and manufactures. While we get 
sugar, molasses, rum and fruits from the West Indin Islands, Brazil and other South American countries 
furnish us with not only the same articles in large quantities, but coffee, cotton, tobacco, rice, rubber, 
hides, cacao for chocolate, sarsaparilla, farinha, precious woods, dye-stuffs, nuts, fruits, tapioca, aunatto, 
clove-bark, balsam-copaiba, isinglass, piassaba, sassafras-nuts, tonqua-beans, gum-copal, vanilla beans, 
diamonds, gold-dust, bullion, ores, paints and chugs : and we send to these and the West Indies nearly 
all their breadstuff's, flour, corn, beef, pork, lard, butter, horses and mules, lumber, machinery, and the 
manufactures of iron and wood, the implements of agriculture and the arts, cotton fabrics, woollens, 
drugs, hardware, and some few steamers and ships. 

Your committee have a statement of the trade of the United States with the West Indies and South 
American countries for 1856, furnished by the Honorable Secretary of the Treasury, from which it ap- 
pears that we import from Brazil alone $19,262,657, and export to that country $5,094,904, making a 
total annual trade of $24,357,561; the cash balance against us being $14,167,753, which we pay in bills 
on London. We import annually from the West Indies, and other South American countries than 
Brazil, $49,985,052, and export to them $32,514,899— making $82,499,951 of trade. We must deduct 
from this about $7,000,000 for Mexico, $5,000,000 for Chili, and $1,000,000 for Peru, which do not belong 
to the field of the proposed line, and which leaves the total trade of our country with those regions for 
1S56 at $93,857,512. This constitutes nearly one-sixth of the whole foreign trade of the United States; 
our exports for 1855 being $275,156,846; our imports $261,46S,520, and the total $536,625,366. From 
reliable data before the committee* it appears that the exports from the United States to Brazil have 



* See " Commerce and Navigation" of the United States, and a late statement furnished by the Secretary 
of the Treasury. 



Appendix I 



625 



gradually increased from two million dollars in 1826, to five million in 1850 ; and that our imports from 
Brazil have also increased in a steady ratio from two million in 182G, to ahove nineteen milium dollars in 
1856. It has taken thirteen years to double our trade with Brazil. We import about half of the whole 
coffee crop of that country. The British imports of coffee from Brazil, up to 1852, were nominal only'' 
and even now, very few pounds of it are entered for homo consumption; yet British merchants now 
engage, largely in the trade, simply because, from the great advantages afforded by their Brazilian steam 
mails, they have much greater facilities than we have for its conduct. We imported less coffee in 185-1 
and 1855 than in 1852; but Great Britain went from 3,000,000 pounds in 1852 to 52,000,000 in 1853 ; 
59,000,000 in 1854; and 112,000,000 in 1855 * 

From 1840 to 1850 the British imports from Brazil made no increase. In 1853, after the establishment 
of the Southampton, Brazil, and La Plata "Royal Mail Line," which was in 1850, they had advanced 
one hundred and fifty per cent, on 1848 ; and in 1855 they had advanced over 1848, or the average of the 
ten years from 1840 to 1850, three hundred per cent. This was mostly in coffee for re-exportation ; a 
trade which was lost to our merchants and to our shipping in consequence, as your comrnitteo believe, 
of the want of speedy mail-facilities with Brazil. 

The total British exports to Brazil from 1840 to 1850 were stationary at about two and a half million 
pounds sterling annually. (See " Blue- Books" and 3/cCulloch.) In 1851, the first year after steam, they 
advanced forty per cent., and in 1854 they had advanced one hundred per cent., on 1850. Thus, the 
British exports doubled in five years from a stationary point for the ten years previous to the establish- 
ment of steam mail and passenger facilities ; whereas our trade with the same country has been thirteen 
years in making the same advance. Our advance in the Brazilian trade has arisen from the imports, 
which have increased about nine hundred per ceut. since 1826 ; our exports having, for the same period 
of thirty years, increased only one hundred and fifty per cent.f The great advance in British trade, 
which was already large, arises from both, and particularly from exports ; this greatest advance being 
since the employment of steam ; the tendency being to enrich Great Britain and to impoverish us ; 
although, with proper encouragement, we could successfully compete with her in manufactured goods, 
and prevent such competition as the large manufacture of imitation " Lowell drills" in Manchester for 
a market that is nearer to us, and which we could supply at cheaper rates if we had the proper accom- 
modations for the transit of letters and passengers. Against every obstacle our exports of flour to Brazil 
have doubled in six years, and must continue to increase gradually as the country grows, and as the 
many railroads now building in the empire direct the attention of the interior population to the pro- 
duction of coffee, with the consequent necessity of living on American or Austrian flour. Your com- 
mittee believe that the stagnation of the British trade from 1840 to 1850 arose from the superior 
advantages given to us by our " clipper-ships" at that period, which placed us much nearer than England 
to Brazil ; and that her rapid strides in this trade since 1850, in taking our coffee trade from us and 
giving it to her own and Continental merchants and shipping, in rivalling us in the rubber trade, and 
consequently in its manufacture, and in wholly surpassing us in a manufacturing trade to which we 
have in some instances superior claims, have arisen, as a direct effect, from the establishment of the 
" royal mail" steam line to Brazil in 1850. It is believed that the mail which is proposed would not 
only restore to us the prestige of our clipper-ships, but enable our commerce rapidly' to advance as far 
beyond that of G reat Britain as hers is now in advance of ours. The policy of the wise and forecasting 
British statesmen who established that line was, doubtless, not so much to increase the income of the 
General Post-Office as to encourage foreign trade and stimulate domestic industry, — a duty which your 
committee conceive to be incumbent on every wise and provident Government, as one of the prime pur- 
poses of its establishment. 

It is proper to observe that of the total Brazilian imports Great Britain furnishes 54 per cent. ; 
France, 12; the United States, 8^, (which in 1845 was 10;) Portugal, 10; Hanse Towns, 6; and La 
Plata, 5. From 1845 to 1855 the imports from Great Britain increased 98 per cent.; France, 34; United 
States, 21; Portugal, 42; Hanse Towns, 78; River Plate, 147; Belgium, 100; (Belgium, Portugal, and 
Sardinia now have each a line of steamers, and France as well as Great Britain two lines each;) Chili, 
1220; and Sardinia, 133. For the same period the increase of Brazilian exports was: to Great Britain, 
158 per cent.; United States, 159; France, 235; Portugal, 8; Hanse Towns, 37 ; River Plate, 71 ; Belgium. 
68 ; Chili, 920 ; and Spain, 26. Hamburg now has a steam line also. 

Your committee regard it as a singular fact, that with all this large trade of ninety-four millions of 
dollars annually, affecting directly the interests of every State of this Union, and demanding the time 
and efforts of so large a number of our enterprising people, in addition to being spread over those re- 
gions of the world with which it is most essential that we should maintain intimate political and 



* For these and the following statements regarding British commerce, see "Parliamentary Reports," the 
annual volume of British "Commerce and Navigation" from 1S30 to 1S55, inclusive; also "lielatorios," or 
Treasury Reports of the Brazilian Minister of Finance. 

f The total trade of Great Britain with Brazil, imports and exports combined, from 1S50 to 1S54 inclusive, 
or during the first five years of the steam-mails, advanced ttoo hundred and twenty-Jive per cent.—T. R. 

40 



626 



Appendix L 



commercial relations in regard to every thing that affects our political and commercial system and 
theirs, we have so long failed to bring to the aid of the Government, diplomacy, and commerce the 
evident and incalculable advantages of regular steamship-communication. It is also a singularly 
significant fact, and one demanding the serious attention of this body, that while the British Govern- 
ment sustains a perfect network of steam lines among the West India Islands, along the Spanish Main, 
to Central America, and to Mexico, and from Panama, along the whole Pacific coast of South America, 
as well as from the West Indies to Halifax, in British North America, which are all so arranged as to 
sweep closely around our whole coast, and yet afford to our commerce and our countrymen no possible 
accommodations, and also two excellent monthly lines from Southampton and Liverpool to Brazil and 
La Plata; the United States have not established a single line of steamers, save a short line from 
Charleston to Cuba, and to some unimportant touching-points in Central America, to any of these 
large and growing fields of commerce, notwithstanding our very highly favorable proximity to them, 
which, with the proper encouragement from the Government, would make our people actually, as 
naturally, almost their sole furnishers, carriers, traders, and bankers. 

Hitherto, our only important rival in the trade of these countries has been Great Britain; but we 
are now surpassed, in our endeavors to cultivate and foster it, by several of the most insignificant 
nations of Europe. The European lines thus far established to Brazil, are the Southampton, (English 
"Koyal Mail;") the Liverpool, (English Mail;) the Havre, (French;) the Marseilles, (French;) the 
Antwerp, (Belgian;) the Genoa, (Sardinian;) and the Luzo-Brazileira, (Portuguese and Brazilian com- 
bined.) A line from Hamburg to Brazil also went into operation in December, 1856. While these 
European nations enjoy such facilities for correspondence, travel, and the cultivation of those general 
relations of amity and sympathy so essential to a vigorous commerce and a proper understanding be- 
tween nations, we have neglected these important and vital interests, and are dependent on our com- 
mercial rivals for the means of conveying our correspondence and the persons engaged in commerce; 
thus becoming tributary to them, and wholly dependent on their favor. British, Greek, and German 
merchants have already driven us from the great trade of Rio de Janeiro. They employ their own 
shipping to send to this country articles of prime necessity, which our merchants and our shipping 
alone should furnish. As a consequence, they freight these ships in Europe with the flour, manufac- 
tures, provisions, &c. which might, under a better system, be sent from this country alone. Thus, 
the American producer of wheat, corn, beef, pork, cotton fabrics, manufactures, machinery, &c. sees 
his market abridged and his prices reduced; while the merchant loses his profits, sees his ships lie 
idle, and vainly deplores the conversion of a large and remunerative trade into unnatural foreign chan- 
nels; and all this simply for the want of an insignificant expenditure for the transport of the mails, 
and the establishment of commercial facilities equal to those of countries which he would be ashamed 
to acknowledge as commercial rivals of the United States. Instead of sending our orders to Brazil, the 
West Indies, or South America direct, over a line two to four thousand miles long, we have no other 
alternative than to send eight to ten thousand miles through England, or through France, Portugal, 
Belgium, Sardinia, or some other Continental country of rival interests; thus subjecting this corres- 
pondence and travel to all the caprices, disadvantages, and detentions of foreign and selfish arrange- 
ments, and losing a period of time in the transaction which, if properly employed, would give us 
advantages which Europeans, at a distance so much greater, could never neutralize or equal. The 
order leaves New Orleans, Mobile, Richmond, Baltimore, Philadelphia, or New York, and after fifteen to 
eighteen days arrives in Europe. The British or Continental merchant inspects the American market, 
and knows his own ; knows the American wants, and orders on South America with this improved in- 
telligence, and the advantage of fifteen to eighteen days of time; a period entirely adequate for the 
greatest commercial crises and revolutions, and is thus enabled to drive his American competitor en- 
tirely from the field. Of this premise the small number of American merchants to-day in South 
American countries, and the increasing business of this country through foreign hands and foreign 
capital, is a sufficient exemplification. 

Your committee are of opinion that the time has come when the United States should watch the 
political condition of all the countries on this continent with jealous care. Interests of vast magnitude 
are involved in the rapid changes incident to the times. The spirit of development in material 
wealth and power, and in social improvement, admonishes us to be prepared to dispute, at no distant 
day, a trade now forming and expanding on this continent, which is destined to rival that of the 
whole world. Our present position indicates how essentially we must conform, and to a certain extent 
control, the destiny of the New World ; a control that we will exercise rather by the peaceful extension 
of our commerce and civilization than by conquest or usurpation. 

The proposed mail line is deemed the more essential from the fact that there is now positively no 
steamship-communication, regular or transient, anywhere in or near the field of the proposed line; and 
that commercial, diplomatic, naval, consular, and social correspondence all depend on the slow, 
irregular, and unreliable conveyance of sailing-vessels, or the circuitous, and, necessarily, selfishly- 
arranged steam lines of our European rivals. Reasons exist for this service which did not hold in esta- 
blishing that with Europe. Here we have no reliable means of communication whatsoever, although 
the commerce is immense ; there we had already a regular and rapid steam-packet service, which, to 



Appendix I. 



627 



a considerable extent, accommodated correspondence and travel. But it was the desire of Government 
to enlarge and extend this, and especially to keep pace with Great Britain "in the contest for the 
supremacy of the seas," and to foster and increase steamship-building and general steamship-enterprise 
in this country, as an important adjuvant of commerce and an honorable and profitable branch of 
domestic industry. The enterprise is eminently national in its character, as the steamers, running 
from both New York and Savannah, will furnish nearly equal facilities to our whole Atlantic and Gulf 
seaboard, while it develops a field of commerce in which every State of the interior, as well as on the 
seaboard, is directly interested. The mails delivered at Savannah would reach all of the Atlantic, Gulf, 
and interior cities within a few hours of the same time, while passengers could reach the Mississippi 
or the Ohio Valley as quickly as they could any of the Eastern or Northern States. It is necessary that 
the steamers should run from Savannah, to afford these easy and equal mail-facilities to every part of 
the Union, and that they should run from New York for that freight and passenger traffic without 
which they cannot be supported. 

Your committee believe that the sum required for the said service is as small as could reasonably bo 
expected, in view of the fact that the line is within a fraction of four thousand miles long; that 
it is an experiment, in which it is very uncertain how far it can rely on passengers and freight; that 
the sugar and molasses of the West Indies cannot be transported in passenger steam-vessels; that all 
other freights, unlike the rich, costly express freights between Europe and America, are gross and 
heavy, and cannot afford the cost of steam transportation; and that the chief purposes of the line are 
the transportation of the mails and passengers, the cultivation of political and commercial relations, and 
the growth of mutual and American interests. The sum is seen to be small enough when compared 
with that paid to lines of less extent. The contract pay of the "Royal Mail Company," carrying the 
West India and Brazilian mails, is £270,000 per annum for twelve years. The sum of £240,000 annu- 
ally had been given to this company for the ten years from 1840 to 1850, for the same service, with the 
exception of the line to Brazil, which the company agreed to establish in consideration of the renewal 
of the contract for twelve years and £30,000 annually additional subsidy. The Government bound 
itself, also, to increase the annual subsidy in an additional sum, not above $75,000, when the price of 
coals, the rates of their freights, and the rates of insurance on freights and on vessels should increase. 
These have all greatly increased ; and the Royal Mail Company now, most probably, receive for the 
Brazil and West India service £345,000 annually, (about $1,669,800.) It must be remembered, also, 
that Great Britain has but few colonies in the West Indies, and those of but little importance. The 
American line proposes to accomplish the same general service by making the British lines at St. 
Thomas and along the Spanish Main, the Brazilian lines from the Amazon to La Plata, the lines on 
those rivers, and the European lines centring in Brazil, all tributary to its mails ; and for the annual 
sum of $204,000 only. There is probably no line where so many interests can be combined at so small 
an outlay by the Government. Vast sums of the public money have been expended in the development 
of interior wealth and trade in this country, while the sums devoted to the encouragement of the 
foreign commerce, on which the prosperity, wealth, and particularly the revenues of the country so 
especially depend, have been, and are yet, comparatively insignificant. 

It is the opinion of the committee that the income from postages by the line would, after the first 
few years, be nearly adequate to its support ; from the fact that it would convey all of the correspondence 
between the United States and the countries named; and that this income, instead of being diminished 
by other lateral lines, as is the case between Europe and Brazil, would largely increase from year to 
year from the permanence and reliability of the communication, from habit, and from the natural and 
artificial increase of trade. This opinion is further justified by the operations of the Southampton and 
Brazilian line, established in 1850. In February, 1852, two years after it went into operation, an 
account was rendered, by order of the Chancellor of the Exchequer, showing that the postages collected 
from the Brazil line were £44,091 17s.; deducted returned letters, £1636; British inland postage, 
£5307 ; Brazilian inland postage, £5307 = £12,250 ; which leaves the net postage from the Brazilian mail 
at £31,841 17s.* Lord Canning reports that in 1853 the net income was £33,47S, considerably above 
$150,000, and this at the time when the Luzo-BraziUira line was running between Lisbon and Brazil, 
and carrying nearly all of the Continental correspondence and news. The Parliamentary Papers for 
1842 give the total income from the Brazilian and La Plata mails at that time by all sailing-" packets" 
and other vessels at £5034 13s. M., which, considering the increase made by the steam mail in 1S52, 
gives a reasonable basis for calculation on the American line. This estimate of the Brazilian postage 
for 1853 does not, however, include the postage from the West India line, which in 1S52 yielded a net 
income of £56,062. Deducting one-half of this for the British colonial postage on provincial corre- 
spondence, the West India and Brazilian net postage combined amounts to £61,509, or nearly $300,000 
annually. It must be remembered that this postage, $300,000, is derived from precisely the same field 
as that to be drained by the American line. The main trunk line takes the correspondence concentrated 
at St. Thomas to Southampton, just as the American line would take the same correspondence from St. 



* See Parliamentary Papers for 1852-53; postal affairs, containing the report of Lord Canning, the Post- 
master-General of Great Britain, July 8, 1S53, and other papers. 



628 



Appendix I. 



Thomas to the United States. The other branch of the line takes the correspondence direct from 
Brazil to Southampton, just as the line here proposed would take the concentrated South American 
correspondence also from Brazil to the United States. The committee have not been able to obtain the 
returns since 1852-53 ; but are satisfied that, although the carriage of correspondence has recently- 
been shared by seven other steam lines, yet the combined net income from them must be twice as large 
as in 1852 ; from which it is evident that the American line will produce a large postal income. 

From the report of Lord Canning, cited above, it is evident that the British steam-packet system is 
sustained without any reference whatever to the postal income, but entirely for commercial and political 
purposes. The committee say : 

" Your lordships have seen from our report that in framing these contracts various objects have 
entered into the consideration of the Government, the cost of which ought not, in our opinion, to be 
charged upon the revenues of the General Post-Office. A simple comparison of the receipts and ex- 
penditures upon some of the lines is in itself sufficient to prove this. If the post-office is to be considered 
as a department producing revenue, it is not to be supposed that a line of vessels which costs the State 
£240,000 a year, and brings in no more than £56,002, (as is the case with the West India packets,) or 
one for which £25,000 is annually paid, and which returns little more than one-fifth of that sum, (as 
the Pacific line,) can be maintained as a part of its machinery ; and, in fact, the contracts for many years 
of the services have been made without reference to any estimate or opinion on the part of the Post- 
master-General of their probable value as postal lines." 

In speaking of the large sums expended on the various steam-packet lines, the report says : 
" The value of the services thus rendered to the State cannot, we think, be measured by a mere 
reference to the amount of the postal revenue, or even by the commercial advantages accruing from it. 
It is undoubtedly startling, at first sight, to perceive that the immediate pecuniary result of the packet- 
system is a loss to the revenue of about £325,000 a year ; but, although this circumstance shows the 
necessity for a careful revision of the service, and although we believe that much may be done to make 
that service self-supporting, we do not consider that the money thus expended is to be regarded, even 
from a fiscal point of view, as a national loss." 

The report of Lord Canning and others, above cited, was made by order of the Chancellor of the Ex- 
chequer, who desired the committee to examine the steam-packet system of Great Britain and report 
on the propriety of continuing or extending it. After remarking that some of the vessels of some few 
companies were unfit for purposes of war, in instructing the committee, the " minute of the Treasury" 
says: 

"At the same time, it is not to be conceived that, on account of this failure in a portion of the design, 
the country has cause to regret having paid a larger price than was intended to be paid simply for the 
establishment of these noble chains of communication, which wellnigh embrace the world. The 
organization of a complete postal system upon the ocean, with absolute fixity of departures and a 
general approach to certainty in arrivals, was a great problem, of high interest and benefit, not to Eng- 
land only, but to all civilized countries ; and this problem may now be said to have been solved by Eng- 
land for the advantage of mankind at large. It was, to all appearance, altogether beyond the reach of 
merely commercial enterprise; and if the price paid has been high, the object has been worthy, and the 
success for all essential purposes complete." 

As an additional evidence that Great Britain supports her steam mail lines for purposes independent 
of the postal revenue, she continues the establishment of new and expensive lines to points where she 
already has them, and pays them, as declared by the face of the contracts, an annual subsidy of 
£1,033,140, whereas the revenues derived from them amount to only £413,782. The above total expendi- 
ture includes £175,000 given annually to the new Australian line, which was contracted for and went 
into operation during the past autumn ; no postal return having been made from it. A new line was 
established from Liverpool to Brazil, and went into operation in September of the past year. The sum 
of subsidy paid it has not yet transpired. The passages are to be, like those of the Southampton line, 
monthly each way. The sum of £1,033,140 sterling, above noticed, does not include the £75,000 annual 
advance pay of the "Royal Mail Company," the £100,000 which the Cunard Company probably receives 
by contract in the same way, (see Report of Lord Canning,) or the sum to be given to the new Liverpool 
and Brazilian line. Nor does it include any estimate for the several mail lines run by vessels belonging 
to the British navy, and, consequently, paid from the naval funds. These added would show that the 
British Government expends about $7,000,000 annually on the mail steam-packet service. Notwith- 
standing this sum, the British Postmaster-General and the committee associated with him have reported 
in favor of continuing and even extending the system. It was on this recommendation that the two 
new lines noticed were established ; and it is now reported by British journals, as it was announced by 
the Postmaster-General himself, that the Government is negotiating with Mr. Cunard for the establish- 
ment of a new line from Liverpool, by the side of the present West India line, to St. Thomas, to Central 
America, and thence to China and the East Indies. The report of the British Postmaster-General, after 
recommending the continuance and extension of the steam mail-service, and urging that the packets 
had fulfilled the most sanguine expectations of the Government as a means of transport and defence in 
the naval service, says : 

"The object of the Government in undertaking the transmarine postal service, whether by packets or 
by the system of ship-letters, is to provide frequent, rapid, and regular communication between this 
country and other States, and between different parts of the British Empire. The reasons for desiring 
such communication are partly commercial and partly political. In cases where the interests concerned 



Appendix I. 



029 



are chiefly those of commerce, it is generally more important that the postal Bervice should he regular 
tliau that it should he extremely rapid, though, of course, rapidity of communication where it i an be 
obtained without sacrificing other objects is of great advantage. It would clearly be the Interests of 
persons engaged in an important trade, provided there was no legal impediment in the way, to establish 
a regular postal communication in connection with it, even without aid from the State. This, however, 
would not extend to many cases in which there are political reasons for maintaining such services, while 
the commercial interests involved are of less magnitude. Nor is it probable that private communica- 
tions would be nearly so rapid as those directed by the Government ; for a high rate of .-peed can only 
be obtained at a great expense, which will generally be found to be disproportionate to the benefits 
directly received from it. unless under peculiar circumstances of passeiiger-trnllie. Lastly, it ii to \m 
considered that there are several services which, if they were not carried on by the British Government, 
would probably be undertaken by the Governments of foreign States, and that it is not likely that pri- 
vate individuals or associations would, in such cases, enter into competition with them. 

"From these considerations we infer that, even upon the lines in the maintenance of which the 
greatest commercial interests are involved, private enterprise cannot be depended upon for providing a 
complete substitute for Government agency; while it is clear that in others, where regular communica- 
tions are desired solely or chiefly for political purposes, such agency is absolutely indispensable. It is, 
however, obvious that to establish a Government system in some cases, and to leave others wholly to 
private persons, would cause much inconvenience. The conclusion therefore follows, that it is light 
that the Government should have the management of the whole of the transmarine postal communica- 
tion, as it also has that of the communication within the country. 

"In undertaking this duty the Government will, in the first place, have regard to the national inte- 
rests, whether jDolitical, social, or commercial, involved in the establishment and maintenance of each 
particular line. The extension of commerce is undoubtedly a national advantage, and it is cpjite rea- 
sonable that Parliamentary grants should occasionally be employed for the sake of affording fresh 
openings for it. by establishing new lines of communication, or introducing new methods of conveyance, 
the expense of which, after the first outlay has been incurred, may be expected to be borne by the 
parties availing themselves of the facilities ottered them. 

"There still remain, however, some cases in which there exists no private communication sufficient 
to render such a mode of proceeding practicable. (The transmission by private steamers engaged in 
the trade.) Where this is so. and where a communication has to be created, it will he necessary that 
contracts of longer duration should be made: for it is unreasonable to expect that any person, or associa- 
tion of persons, should incur the expense and risk of building steamers, forming costly establishments, 
and opening a new line of commerce at a heavy outlay of capital, without some security that they will 
be allowed to continue the service long enough to reap some benefit from their undertaking. It must 
be borne in mind, that the expensive vessels built for the conveyance of the mails at a high rate of 
speed, are not in demand for the purposes of ordinary traffic, and cannot, therefore, be withdrawn and 
applied to another service at short notice. It is, then, fair that on the first opening of a new line, con- 
tracts should be made for such a length of time as may encourage the building of ships for the purpose, 
by affording a prospect of their employment for a considerable number of years. But we see no suffi- 
cient reason for continually renewing such contracts for periods equally long, after the object has once 
been attained. A company which has received a liberal subsidy for ten or twelve of the first years of 
its existence ought to provide, by the establishment of a sinking-fund, for the maintenance of its fleet 
of vessels, and may be fairly expected, after having been compensated for the original hazard, to con- 
tinue the service, by fresh contracts entered into either from year to year, or for a period not exceeding 
three years. 1 ' 

Your committee have good reason to believe that the parties proposing this mail-service are responsible, 
and fully able to execute the contract faithfully; and, in view of the desirableness of the service, recom- 
mend that the Postmaster-General be required to contract with them, according to the terms of the 
"bill" for that purpose herewith reported, for a period of time not less than ten years, which is deemed 
sufficient to enable them to successfully establish the line and determine the experiment of a steam mail 
between the United States and the West India Islands and Brazil. 

Your committee further consider it proper, in this connection, to present brief extracts from some few 
authors who have treated of this subject, and who are supposed to be acquainted with the facts. In a 
late work, entitled "Brazil and La Plata, by the Rev. C. S. Stewart, U.S.N. : G. P. Putnam, 1S56." the 
author, in speaking of this mail line, says : 

"The importance to the United States of the trade of Brazil will hardly be credited by those not par- 
ticularly informed on the subject. This trade amounts to about $24,000,000 annually; the balance 
against the United States being $14,000,000 paid in cash. It is believed by those best informed on the 
subject, that the establishment of a line of regular mail-steamers to Brazil, with a suitable subsidy from 
the Government for postal service, would be the means of doubling the amount of trade in the course 
of five years; and by the increased demand for our productions, arising from the facility of communica- 
tion and correspondence, would equalize the exchange, if not turn the balance in our favor. It is a 
reproach to us that, for the want of direct communication by steam, our correspondence, both commercial 
and diplomatic, with Eastern South America, is carried by English mail-steamers by the ivay of England, 
a distance of near eight thousand miles. For the same cause the disbursements of our government to 
its public agents there are made only at heavy percentage. To place the salary of a charge d'affaires 
at Rio costs the Government at home usually one thousand dollars, and the naval disbursements on that 
station are made at a corresponding loss." 

The following letter is from Commander Thomas J. Page, U.S.N., who has recently returned from an 
exploring expedition in the United States steamer "Water-Witch"' to the La Plata River and Brazil. 
Commander Page, having explored those regions for more than three years, must be well qualified to 
speak of their wants, and of the facilities necessary for the proper prosecution in them of our vast com- 
merce. His letter, dated Washington, December 22, 1856, and addressed to the projector of the enter- 
prise, says: 





630 



Appendix I. 



Thomas J. Page to Thomas Eainey. 




"It is much to be hoped that the enterprise for the establishment of a line of steamers between the 
United States and Brazil, which you haTe brought to the notice of Congress, may receive that patronage 
which the importance of the measure so justly merits. 

"It is one in which not only the commercial community is deeply interested, but one which offers to 
the Government facilities and advantages for the transaction of its own affairs with its agents and 
representatives in South America as well as with those Governments, for which it is now dependent on 
foreign means. It -will relieve the Government of its present state of dependency on foreign enterprise 
and capital, for which it must necessarily pay dearly. 

_ "No Government has ever fostered similar undertakings without deriving from them ample compensa- 
tion, — in the economy of the system, in the extension of commerce, and in the revenue from the postal 
arrangement. 

'•I hope the line you propose to establish will not long keep its southern terminus confined to the 
Empire of Brazil, but will extend it into the waters of -La Plata,' where, within the past four years, 
has beeu opened to the world a commerce of inestimable value; which, if our Government does not 
avail itself of at an early day, must necessarily fall into European hands. To secure these benefits 
something more is required than simply the energy and enterprise of our commercial community. In 
these we challenge competition ; but their entire success depends on the fostering care of the General 
Government." 

The following extracts, bearing particularly on this subject, are from "HadfielcCs Brazil, River Plate, 
and Falkland Islands," London, 1854; a work abounding in facts and figures. }Ir. Hadfi eld went to 
Brazil as the agent of a Liverpool steamship-company which recently commenced operations; and being 
a practical steamshipman, his opinions will have the more weight : 

" "Until 1850 the eastern coast of South America, including the extensive and flourishing Empire of 
Brazil, and the boundless regions watered by the La Plata and its tributaries, were entirely without 
European steam-navigation. The old process of sailing-ships, and a monthly sailing-packet from Fal- 
mouth, conveying mails, were the only medium of communication. In that year the Royal Mail Com- 
pany entered upon the service they had undertaken with Government, to run a monthly* steamer from 
Southampton to Eio Janeiro, and a branch steamer to the River Plate. ' The vessels placed on the station 
were draughted from their West India fleet, and. although not possessed of extraordinary steaming or 
sailing qualities, they performed the voyage with regularity, and in a space of time which reduced to 
one-half that ordinarily occupied by the sailing-craft. The consequence was an augmentation of traffic, 
both of goods and passengers, such as few persons contemplated, and the line proved speedily unequal 
to the task of dealing with either to the extent required. 



"Thus it will be seen, from this brief recapitulation of dates and distances, that in the space of two 
months a merchant can visit his Brazil establishment, and another, under three months, can look after 
his River Plate affairs, often saving himself much anxiety and loss of time. The manufacturer can, 
without great trouble, make himself practically acquainted with the markets he wishes to trade to. 
Whilst, which is equally important, the natives of those countries have an opportunity of visiting 
Europe, and forming by personal contact those relations of amity and good-will which tend so much to 
soften prejudices and bring about a right understanding on all points mutually advantageous. Hence 
the ramifications of such enterprises as steam are most interesting in their results to mankind; and if 
once the tide of emigration begins to set in fairly toward that immense agricultural field, watered by 
the rivers of South America, there is no foreseeing the extension of wealth and prosperity that must 
assuredly follow ; for population is the sole requirement to fit these limitless and teeming regions to 
work out the destiny which it is impossible to doubt that Providence, in the fulness of time, has de- 
signed for that portion of the earth where the majesty and the luxur iance of nature invite the presence 
of man through highways at once the mightiest and most facile in the world. * * * 

" Steam-navigation has, however, in a great measure remedied this evil (the distance of the capital 
from Para) as it has done so many others, and news is now regularly transmitted between Rio Janeiro 
and Para by a steam company, liberally subsidized by the Government, the former being bound to 
despatch a vessel once a fortnight, calling at all the ports. 

"In the absence of internal roads or communications along the coast, steam must very properly be 
regarded as the main-stay of the executive, at the same time that it offers the needful facility for pro- 
vincial deputies attending the sittings of the Rio Chambers. " Steam, valuable everywhere, is invaluable 
here, and maj'. indeed, be looked upon as the great civilizer and regenerator of a country like Brazil, 
with a seacoast extending nearly four thousand miles from north to south ; while other tributary lines 
of steamers are being established in the innumerable bays and rivers. 

" The northernmost point is the mighty Amazon, which is being explored and opened to general 
traffic by another steam company, established at Rio Janeiro, and Likewise aided with an ample subsidy 
from the Government. 

Speaking of a line of steamers between the United States and Brazil, Hadfield says : 

" The importance of this line of steamers to those interested in the trade between the two countries 
must impress itself upon all who are conversant with the trade carried on; but although a considerable 
amount of freight may be relied on, the passenger-traffic will probably be far more important. Besides 
the Americans and others interested in this trade, many English and Brazilians intending to travel from 
South America to Europe, and vice versd, would go via the United States, some for business-purposes, 
and many to visit that country. 

"Although the trade between the West Indies and Brazil is unimportant, these countries are at 
present so thoroughly devoid of meaus of intercommunication that advantages could not fail to be 
derived by the establishment of this line. At present a person wishing to leave a Brazilian port for 
the West Indies will generally find that he must go vid England or the United States, and this even 
from the most northern ports. 

"Ten years ago Brazil had little external influence; now Brazil is obviously at the head of South 
American States, and has a distinct and separate part assigned to her in the destinies of the human 
race. 



THE END. 



